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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23459569">I'm busy, all right?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazySundayMusings/pseuds/LazySundayMusings'>LazySundayMusings</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Peter Kay's Car Share (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 15:29:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>41,864</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23459569</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazySundayMusings/pseuds/LazySundayMusings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Continues immediately after the events of “The Christmas Function”.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kayleigh Kitson/John Redmond</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Tuesday 17 December, eight thirty am</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Are you all right, Mr Redmond?”<br/>
“Early start, is all.  I’m good.”</p>
<p>He’d answered that kind of question a few times already that morning.  The duty-manager had been the first, just before six o’clock - “Good morning your Holiness, you’re looking...  Jesus.  You look terrible.”<br/>
John couldn’t help smiling.  “Thanks, Jeremy...”</p>
<p>They had their handover-chat while doing the morning store-check, then wandered over to the main Christmas display.<br/>
“That is impressive,” said John.  “We should get a video of it, as pictures alone won’t do it justice.  It’ll look great on the store’s website.”<br/>
“Reckon,” said Jeremy.  “Whose idea was that?”<br/>
“The Christmas team.”<br/>
“Not what I asked.”<br/>
“Helen’s, mostly.  But they all chipped in.”<br/>
Jeremy lowered his voice.  “Pity she’s leaving.”<br/>
“Yep.”<br/>
“You’d be gutted, then.”<br/>
“Why?”<br/>
“Well, you know...”<br/>
“No.”<br/>
“Sure you do.  It’s obvious.”<br/>
“What is?”<br/>
“That she’s your “go-to”, obviously.  Whenever you need someone to fill in while you’re off doing whatever, you go to Helen.  Almost exclusively.”<br/>
“Well, hey.  If you’d chosen to work in daylight-hours you could have been the “go-to girl” yourself, you know.”<br/>
“Cheeky prick...”<br/>
They both sniggered quietly.<br/>
“Besides,” said John after confirming no one was in earshot, “I’ll have been gone for two months by the time she leaves.  And she’ll be back on her section full-time once Dave comes back.”<br/>
“She doesn’t want to play Assistant Manager until then?”<br/>
“Nope.”<br/>
“Does anyone?”<br/>
“Not that they’ve told me.”<br/>
“Interesting...”<br/>
“Yeah.  Anyway.”  John glanced at the wall clock.  “It’s a bit early, but you might as well go.”  They shook hands.  “Talk to you tonight.”</p>
<p>There had been something in Jeremy’s tone that John had found unsettling, but it wasn’t until he walked into Dave’s office that he worked out what it was.<br/>
And the response from Area-HR hadn’t eased his mind.</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>John and SimonG made a point of arriving early for the eight-thirty meeting, giving them time to set the agenda and decide who would discuss what.<br/>
When the rest of the senior staff arrived, they saw that Simon was seated at the head of the table, with John to his left.  John had both cellphones and his notepad in front of him, and was occupied with all of them.  The significance of the fact that he was wearing glasses was not lost on the person in the room who knew him best.<br/>
“Good morning everyone,” said Simon.  “It’s a very short list today.</p>
<p>There’s been a couple of comments of how low-key the advertising seemed to be in sending the message that we’re back running 24-hours.  We’ve had confirmation that the copy was seen and heard everywhere we expected.  So while it might look like the advertising didn’t happen, it’s more likely that people just didn’t fancy going out in the cold and rain last night.</p>
<p>You’ll have seen that the Christmas displays are up.  That’s where Helen is for the next half-hour or so, if you need to talk to her.  The promotions company are arriving mid-morning and “Santa Central” will be running from lunchtime.  And Mrs Santa Claus, a.k.a. Elsie O’Donnell, will be making her appearance from twelve-thirty to one-thirty.  For today, anyway.  We’ll see what the best times are as we go along.</p>
<p>The security company will be sending someone over incognito while “Central” is operating, just to get a feel for customer numbers and how many uniforms might need to be in plain sight over the next week or so as Christmas madness really kicks in.”</p>
<p>John took over.  “I have two quick items.  Trevor Simms’ final wishes were that there be no funeral or service, and that donations be made to the Hospice in his name in lieu of flowers.  Details are on the noticeboards for any staff that wish to donate.<br/>
In light of a few questions following what I told you yesterday, I asked Area-HR for clarification about what can be passed on to the staff and what can’t.  The staff can be told that Dave will be back in his office in mid-January, and that things will be business as usual until then.  My departure is not to be mentioned until Dave says so.  Basically, everyone’s focus should be on keeping the store running normally, rather than speculating who might be doing what.  Which is quite right, given the time of year.<br/>
And, as I said yesterday, I’ll support any ideas or suggestions anyone has for the store, but it’ll be up to Dave if he wants take them any further.”</p>
<p>He looked at each person in turn.  “Now.  Is there anything that anyone wants to raise?”<br/>
Craig spoke up.  “Can I ask why the in-house Promotions team aren’t actively involved with the Santa-setup?”<br/>
“It’s simple,” said John with a straight face.  “There are no product-specific promotions for the next three weeks, and those three are more useful to us moving around the various sections as they’re needed, plus working their magic on the tills.  Their efforts in those areas are what the store needs right now.<br/>
Bringing in a specialist promotions company is in no way a reflection on the in-house Promotions team.  The cost of having that company come in to install the displays and run “Central” will be more than offset by the benefits from having the Promotions and Customer Care teams helping out with the core business of the store.  The numbers are solid on that.”</p>
<p>John waited, looking around the group but no more questions were forthcoming.<br/>
“If we’re done...  let’s get back to it.”</p>
<p>Brenda Kelson had remained seated as the room emptied.  She made a point of watching the door close before turning back to John.<br/>
“Odd thing for Craig to ask, don’t you think?”<br/>
“Hardly, what with him being so friendly with young Karen.”<br/>
“Is he?”<br/>
“Oh sure.  She asked the same question when we were chatting last Friday, and I told her the same.  More or less.  Maybe he thought there might be a “staff” answer and a “management” answer...  Dunno.  Not important.”<br/>
“So who asked the questions after your announcement yesterday?”<br/>
“Just me.  Figured I’d get the official line from Area and then just follow it.”  John was quiet for a moment.  “You know, I have yet to find anyone who might be interested in having this job.”<br/>
“Yeah, well...  Says a lot about what people think of Dave, doesn’t it?  Besides, it’s not your problem.”<br/>
“Well, you say that, but Area-HR told me this morning that if Dave can’t find a suitable candidate, he might well be able to bring me back for a while.”<br/>
Brenda was quiet for a moment, then patted his arm.  “I wouldn’t worry about it.  The pressure will have eased off by then, so they’ll be more willing to put a less-experienced body in your office.  And don’t forget - you put together a crapload of solid info for those three apprentices of yours.  That’ll give any new bod a great leg-up into the job.”<br/>
“Yeah, I suppose.”<br/>
“You trust my instincts, don’t you?”<br/>
“Absolutely.”<br/>
“Because my instincts tell me it’ll be fine.”  She paused, then pointed at John’s glasses.  “You haven’t worn those in ages.  Just how tired are you?”<br/>
“I’m fine.  Really.”<br/>
Brenda frowned.  “John...?”<br/>
He couldn’t stop the yawn.  “Just didn’t sleep that well last night.  That’s all.”<br/>
“Well...  don’t go busting your boiler today.  You know, I think Helen and the Simons are ready for more responsibility, so make use of them.  Do some of that delegation-shit I taught you.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Janine carefully manoeuvred her Fiesta past the trolley-return and into her assigned space.  “Wow.”<br/>
“What?”<br/>
“The boss must have been here for hours.  It hasn’t rained for ages, but his car looks almost soggy.”<br/>
Kayleigh tried to sound nonplussed.  “Huh.  Well, Donna did say that he’s usually here by about six or so, right?”<br/>
“Oh yeah.  Don’t know why he bothers making the effort - it’s not as if it’s gonna do him much good, is it?”<br/>
“What do you mean?”<br/>
“Well...”<br/>
“What?”<br/>
“Thompson’s coming back in January.”<br/>
“Well, probably.  And Mr Redmond will go back to doing his own job.”<br/>
“No he won’t.  He’s leaving as soon as Thompson gets back.  Did he not tell you?”<br/>
“Um...  No.  Why would he?”<br/>
“Well, you know...”<br/>
“No.”<br/>
“Sure you do.  It’s obvious.”<br/>
“What is?”<br/>
“So you’ll know you won’t be car-sharing with him any more.”<br/>
“Oh.  Oh!  Um, well, I guess HR will just sort that out at the time.  Where did you hear this anyway?”<br/>
“Overheard one of the Section Heads on the phone yesterday as I was leaving.”<br/>
Kayleigh arched her eyebrows.<br/>
“Hey,” said Janine, “I wasn’t snooping.  Shirley’s husband doesn’t hear so well so she has to speak up when she calls him.”  Her eyes widened.  “Oh - forget I said that.”  She was quiet for a moment then leaned closer.  “Actually, I’ll tell you what is interesting, though - seems Redmond told Shirley she wasn’t allowed to go to the “Do” on Friday.  She was going off about that as well.  Bit rude that he turned up but said she couldn’t.”<br/>
Kayleigh nodded slowly.  “That is interesting... ‘cos someone said she had a migraine.”<br/>
“Apparently not.  Anyway,” said Janine, “forget I said any of that.  Let’s go see how the Christmas setup looks.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>When Kayleigh and Janine emerged from the corridor at the rear of the store, they both took a moment to admire the Christmas display - “it’s so much better than the photos” - before Janine headed over to Produce while Kayleigh joined her Promotions teammates and the two Customer Care reps at the Reception desk where Helen was chatting with Craig.<br/>
Helen turned to greet the five women.  “Morning, ladies.  I see you’re all wearing flat shoes - good.  Here’s the plan for today.  Starting with our Customer Care duo - we’ll have you alternating between being here in Reception and in Admin Support.  Suze - if you can start here alongside Craig, and Rachel - if you could go with Mark to see Brenda in Admin.  We’ll have you swap every hour or so.”</p>
<p>Helen led the Promotions trio away from Reception.  “You’re all current on the tills so we’ll have you giving the regulars a longer break mid-morning and mid-afternoon because it’s going to to be crazy today, being just one week away from Christmas.  Other than that, we’ll start you off eyeballing the stock levels in the aisles plus rotating the stock to bring the older-dates to the front of the shelves where you can.  We’ll also have you spending time working in the warehouse office itself, as they’ll need extra hands to keep on top of the paperwork as the lorries keep coming in.  And there might also be some personal-shopper time this afternoon, but we’ll let you know about that.<br/>
But for now - can you go with Keith and he’ll get you set up for the stock checks...”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Twelve-fifteen pm</p>
<p>The Promotions trio had been split across multiple sections since their morning break.  From her temporary spot in Produce Kayleigh had a view of the main Christmas display, and had noted an increase in activity since twelve but couldn’t work out what it was.<br/>
Things became clearer when she heard some excited gasps and looked over to see Mr and Mrs Santa Claus walking arm-in-arm towards “Santa Central”, being escorted by a handful of elves.  Both Kayleigh and Gail were smiling as the children in the Produce area saw what was going on and a few started to move towards the queue that was already starting to form, although they both had to bite their tongues when they heard muttering from some parents with children - the clearest comment being “Oh, fuck - that’s all I need...” before the young mother called out  “Peter!  Get back here!  You can see Santa another time.”</p>
<p>Elsie responded to Kayleigh’s wave before she and Santa disappeared from view, at which point Helen and SimonG wandered over.  The smiles on their faces spoke volumes.</p>
<p>“Hi,” said Kayleigh, pointing at the building queue.  “There’s a few keen kids already.  How long will our Santas be in there?”<br/>
“Just until one-thirty,” replied Simon.  “With this being unannounced today, the numbers will be much lower than the rest of the days through to Christmas Eve.  Once the last of the kids go through they’ll close it down fairly quickly and have a chat about how it all went, but we can’t keep Elsie away from her job in the Deli for too long.”<br/>
“Oh,” said Kayleigh, “that’s a shame.  I would have liked to get a photo with her all dressed up.”<br/>
“We’ll be doing that tomorrow,” he replied.  “Tonight at five we’ll get the whole Christmas team in front of the display for pictures, and tomorrow we’ll line you all up for pictures with Santa, Elsie and the elves when Elsie finishes her stint at about one-thirty or so.”<br/>
“Why not today?”<br/>
“Rachel is tied up with a rush-job in Admin Support until two, and since she put us on to these guys,” - he indicated the performers dressed as elves - “it’s only fair that she’s included in the pictures.  We’ll have Suze doing that job tomorrow.”<br/>
“Oh, sure.  How did Elsie seem to you?  She had a huge smile on her face just now.”<br/>
“Keen.  A bit nervous at first, but “Santa” said all the right things and she was ready to go.”<br/>
Helen nudged his arm.  “And we need to get going as well.  Kayleigh - once you’ve had lunch, can you go back to Keith for another stock-check in the aisles, then grab Penny and head to the tills at two-thirty.  We’ll have you both on tills for an hour or so, then spread you around the different sections once you’ve had your break.”<br/>
“No Karen, then?”<br/>
“Karen will be in the warehouse office for the rest of the day and tomorrow.  Possibly longer.  She’s worked out there before and Sanjay’s keen to keep her while all the extra lorries keep coming in.  We’ll try to get you some experience working out there on Wednesday or Thursday.”</p>
<p>“Odd thing to say,” said Kayleigh, as she watched the pair walk away.  “Why would I be wanting experience in the warehouse office?”<br/>
“As cover?” suggested Gail.  “For times like this, when there’s no promotions going on, I mean.”<br/>
“I suppose.  But things’ll be back to normal in January, right?”<br/>
“Oh, sure.  But never mind that now.  Once you’ve sorted out the lettuces we can go have lunch.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Five-forty pm</p>
<p>Kayleigh had let herself into “Little Blue” with the key Helen had discreetly passed to her while she was stocking the shelves.  Out of habit she turned on the radio to pass the time, but had to quickly turn the volume down when she was hit by a blast of guitar-based rock that was a million miles away from what “Forever FM” usually played.<br/>
When the initial shock wore off, she became aware that people outside were looking at her in the car.  She held up both hands in the universal “whoops!” gesture then averted her eyes - eventually finding and focussing on her phone.</p>
<p>The text that arrived soon afterwards came as a relief:<br/>
“on my way”</p>
<p>Two minutes later John emerged from the staff-only entrance.  He walked over to “Little Blue”, dropped a large folder on the back seat then got in.  He looked across at Kayleigh, his smile crinkling the skin beside the obviously-tired eyes behind his glasses.  “Hi.”<br/>
“Hiya.”<br/>
The beefed-up security lighting in the area deprived them of privacy so Kayleigh resisted the urge to reach over and touch his cheek.  Instead, she pointed at the radio display in the dash.  “What’s this station, John?  You’d left it turned all the way up.”<br/>
“Oh, yeah.  I was feeling a bit drowsy after I dropped you home this morning, so put this on and turned it up.”<br/>
“Oh right.  It sounded like a blasting noise, if I’m honest.”<br/>
John shrugged as he got the car moving.  “There’s been a lot of really interesting rock released over the last twenty years.  Clever stuff, lots going on - but this morning I just needed to hear something loud and shouty to keep me awake.  Worked a treat.<br/>
But it made me realise that I can’t do this.  Getting-up at four-thirty, I mean.  Not if I’m only sleeping about four or so hours.  I know I said I’d like us to go for dinner or movies or whatever and have you stay overnight this week, but I can’t then be getting up at four-thirty.  It’s gonna break me.”<br/>
Kayleigh smiled.  “Well, it was a nice idea, anyway.  But you’re not going to be at work on Saturday, right?”<br/>
“Nope.  Just the usual phone calls.”<br/>
“And I’m still invited to stay on Friday night, right?”<br/>
“You certainly are.”<br/>
“Then I’m very happy to wait until Friday, John.”</p>
<p>They were soon in the middle of a mass of slow-moving traffic heading north.  John waited until Kayleigh had finished sending a series of texts before speaking.  “How was your day?  I saw you and the teams working all over the store.”<br/>
“You saw us?”<br/>
“Sure.  There’s that spot upstairs with a view over the main floor.  Plus, Helen and the Simons were keeping me up to date with what they were doing with you all.”<br/>
“What “they” were doing with us?”<br/>
“Yep.  I left it to them to move Promotions and Customer Care where you were most needed during the day.”<br/>
“Needed, huh?  So how come Rachel was only in Reception and Admin?  We could used her on the tills at times.”<br/>
“Because her experience on the tills isn’t current, and we needed her gift of the gab in Reception to deal with customer queries.”<br/>
“Huh.  I’ve heard she’s good with her mouth,” Kayleigh muttered.<br/>
John ignored the slur.  “And Admin Support need an extra person until Christmas to help organise the Food Bank collection and pickup each day.  Some of the older stock you all rotated off the shelves tonight will be included in the allocation to be picked up tomorrow morning.”<br/>
“Oh.  Is that what we do with it?”<br/>
“It is, but more so now.”  John glanced across.  “You remember before I joined the project, when Cath and I were working on the December/January work plans for the store?”<br/>
“Yes,” she replied without enthusiasm.<br/>
“You remember how we were looking at long-range weather forecasts as well as all the other stuff?  Well, those forecasts suggested the weather over Christmas and New Year could be fucking miserable, so the stores in the Area are beefing up our contribution to the Food Bank collections right through until January.”<br/>
“Oh!  I didn’t know that.  Why doesn’t the store make more noise about that?”<br/>
“Because the most important thing is that it gets done.  We can pat ourselves on the back some other time.”</p>
<p>He was quiet for a while as he navigated his way past a succession of slow-moving lorries, needing to constantly check both wing-mirrors as he did so.  “I really need to clean that back window...”  he muttered.</p>
<p>It wasn’t until they were back in free-flowing traffic that John was able to relax.  “I watched you and the Christmas Team have your photo session tonight.  The idea is for some photos and a video to go up on the website for the store, so a lot more people can appreciate the good work you all did.”<br/>
“A lot of it was down to Helen, if we’re being honest.”<br/>
John cleared his throat.  “That’s not what I heard - she and Simon made it clear that everyone contributed.  But I did see that Elsie was a hit as Mrs Santa Claus.  And she was chuffed with how it went, even with her first-day nerves at the start.”<br/>
“I didn’t get a chance to talk to Elsie afterwards.  I was on the tills when she was on her break, and she left while I was restocking shelves.  It is okay for me to keep doing that all this week, right?”<br/>
“The shelves?  That’ll be fine.  Your last day is next Monday, isn’t it?”<br/>
“The twenty-third?  Yeah...”  She looked curiously at John before continuing.  “Elsie was smiling up a storm when she went in, but I didn’t get a chance to see her close-up with all the gear on.”<br/>
“Hold that thought,” said John, as he slowed for the upcoming intersection.  Once the car had stopped he retrieved his phone, brought up the latest photo and passed it to Kayleigh who giggled when she saw the selfie John had taken of himself and Elsie.<br/>
“Oh, John - she looks great.  When did you take that?  I didn’t see you in the queue to visit Santa.”<br/>
“No, no - I was with them for a chat when they finished up.  I wanted to hear how it went plus what the security bloke thought of the setup and how many uniforms he thinks we’ll need around the place for the next week or so.  I took that shot just before they helped her out of the costume.”  He tapped the side of his nose.  “Management privilege, you see.”<br/>
She grinned.  “I see...   Will you send that to me?”<br/>
“You’ve got my phone - just go ahead.”<br/>
“I don’t know how to on your phone.”<br/>
“Oh.  Right.  I’ll send it later.  Although, you’ll be taking pictures once she’s finished tomorrow, right?”<br/>
“Will there be enough time for us all to get pictures?”<br/>
“Yep.  Already arranged,” said John as he tapped the other side of his nose.<br/>
“Management privilege, yeah?”<br/>
“Management directive,” he replied.<br/>
“Oh, yes.  Hey, you’ve not told me how your day went.”<br/>
He hesitated.  “Oh.  Um...”<br/>
“Um?”<br/>
“It was okay.  Mostly.”<br/>
“Mostly?”<br/>
“Something came up today...  I won’t be at the reception next Saturday night.”<br/>
“What?  Why not?”<br/>
“James has had to drop out of the overnight roster for the next two weekends - doctor’s advice.  I found cover for this weekend and next Sunday but not the Saturday - so I’m taking that overnight shift.”<br/>
“But...”<br/>
“I will be at the wedding itself, but then I’ll have to go leave straight away to get some sleep then go back into work.”<br/>
“But...”<br/>
“What?”<br/>
“I was going to stay with you afterwards.”<br/>
“Ah.  That’s not...  I mean, I’ll be at work from half-seven Saturday night until eight the next morning.  So...  No.  That’s not going to work.”<br/>
“Oh, John...”<br/>
“Hey - it’s got to be done.”<br/>
“Hmmph.  I’ll bet Dave Thompson wouldn’t do that.  Wouldn’t put himself out like that.”<br/>
“You don’t know that.  And like I said - I’ll be at the ceremony in the afternoon, which is the most important bit.  And Donna was okay with it.  It’s not as if I’m the guest of honour or anything.”</p>
<p>John glanced across, noting that her arms were folded but not tightly.  “You are still going to stay over on the Friday night, right?  That was the idea - stay with me on the Friday, go to the wedding and reception on Saturday, stay over on Saturday night.  The only difference is you’ll be at the reception and then back to Bury, right?”<br/>
“Yeah, I guess...   Yeah.  Sure.  It’s just a shame.”<br/>
“It is.  Rotten time for James to be sick, right?”<br/>
“Yeah.”  Her voice fell away.  “That too...”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>While waiting at yet another red light, Kayleigh turned to John.  “Can I ask you something?”<br/>
“What about?”<br/>
“I heard something about you today, about something you did last Friday.”<br/>
“Stop right there.  Don’t say another word.”<br/>
“Why?”<br/>
“Is it something important?  Something that might need to be investigated?  Something that could bring the store into disrepute?”<br/>
Kayleigh shook her head.  “Don’t think so...  No.  Why?”<br/>
“Because if it was something important, I’d have to ask you what it was and how you heard about it.”<br/>
“So?”<br/>
“If I then had to take action and possibly discipline someone, they’d be entitled to ask how I heard about it.”<br/>
Kayleigh made a face.  “Oh, is this that business about you not wanting people at work to know about your personal life?”<br/>
“No - work’s known about us for weeks.  This is about you and your workmates.  Do you think they’ll still be wanting to talk to you about anything if they think you’ll just turn around and tell me?”<br/>
“Wait.  Work knows about us?”<br/>
“Yes - I had to declare our relationship so there wouldn’t be any impression of favouritism.  Look - just forget about that.  You get on well with pretty much everybody.  That could stop if they decide you’re a squealer, someone who can’t be trusted to stick to the “us and them” divide.  You could go from being someone they want to talk to, to someone they’ll talk to only when they have to.  It happened to me when I was getting into the management stream, and it’s no fun.<br/>
So.  Having said all that - do you still want to ask me?”<br/>
“No.”<br/>
“All right then.”</p>
<p>They were both quiet for the remainder of the drive back to Bury, the radio being the only sound in the car.  It wasn’t until they’d been stopped for a few moments outside the small Bury house that Kayleigh spoke.<br/>
“John?”<br/>
“Yes?”<br/>
“I am sorry about last night.”<br/>
“I know.  You’ve already said.”<br/>
“You could have just woken me, moved me out of the way so you could get into bed.”<br/>
“No I couldn’t.  You looked so peaceful...   I just couldn’t.”</p>
<p>“Kayleigh?”<br/>
“Yes?”<br/>
“Was your Friday question about someone being told not to go to the Christmas “Do”?”<br/>
She blinked.  “How did...?”<br/>
“That’s about the only thing that happened on Friday that I’ve not told you myself.  The answer is Yes, and for good reason.  That’s all I’m going to say about it, and I’d appreciate it if you never mention it again.  To anyone.”</p>
<p>As Kayleigh nodded, her gaze shifted from his face to his hands that had a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.  “John - what are you going to do?”<br/>
“I’m going to go home, deal with that lot,” - he jerked his thumb at the folder on the back seat - “then sort dinner and lunch for tomorrow.  Then I’ll take the late-call from the store and set the alarm so I can sleep for an extra fifteen minutes in the morning.”<br/>
“Okay.  Okay.  Well, come on, then.”<br/>
John and Kayleigh got out of the car and had their usual, “proper” hug.<br/>
John was the first to loosen his grip.  “It’s no good.  I’ve got to get going, or I’ll yawn all over you.”<br/>
She kissed his cheek.  “You really should have woken me last night, John.  I wouldn’t have minded.”<br/>
“I couldn’t.  You looked so relaxed...  lying there like a starfish.”<br/>
“A starfish?”<br/>
“Yeah.  You know - arms and legs out and about.”<br/>
She giggled.<br/>
He smiled, then quickly turned his face and yawned.  “I’ve really got to go.  Goodnight, beautiful.”<br/>
Kayleigh watched as he got into the car and drove away, then went inside.</p>
<p>In “Little Blue”, John was seething in between yawns.  “Shirley fucking Addlington...”<br/>
He stabbed the Channel button on the radio twice to switch to the local hard rock station and turned it up loud.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Wednesday 18 December, five-twenty pm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’m busy, all right?”<br/>
John held up his hands.  “All right, all right.   I heard you.  No need to get carried away...”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wednesday 18 December, six-ten am</p>
<p>John had pre-warned the overnight Duty Manager that he was gifting himself a fifteen-minute sleep-in, but even so he’d still arrived at the store just ten minutes later than he usually did.  Jeremy was waiting with a mug of tea when John emerged from the corridor at the rear of the store.<br/>
“Good morning, your Highness, your Highness...”<br/>
John gratefully accepted the mug - “Thanks, mate,” - then was quiet for a moment.  “Blackadder, right?”<br/>
“Very good,” Jeremy confirmed.  “You all right, then?”<br/>
“Feeling good today.  Slept really well, motorway had exactly zero halfwits on it.  Pretty good start to the day, I reckon.”<br/>
“It is.  And I can add to that - we actually had some customers in overnight.  Not a huge number, but almost enough to justify being open in the first place.  Looks like the advertising actually hit the marks.”<br/>
John was nodding.  “That is good news...”</p>
<p>They spent the next fifteen minutes walking through the store, paying particular attention to the activities in the loading bay and warehouse.  At the completion of their walkthrough, John led Jeremy to a quiet spot where they could watch the staff without being overheard.<br/>
“So how did your team go overnight?  All settled back into their routines yet?”<br/>
“Pretty much, except for having to spend a lot of time with little to do.  And there’s only so much time you can fill in by restocking shelves in the early hours.”<br/>
“Well, last year’s patterns showed the week before Christmas got increasingly busy, even late into the night.  Add to that the miserable weather that’s meant to turn up after Boxing Day, and you might find that people feel the need to stock up on the basics at all hours.”<br/>
“Good thing that Thompson agreed with Helen’s suggestion about keeping higher stock levels in the warehouse across the board,” said Jeremy.<br/>
“True,” John replied.  “Well, looks like we’re in good shape for the day.  I’ll let you head off.  And while I remember - Area are happy to have you on the early-start roster, although the earliest they’d be likely to call on you is early in January.”<br/>
“Great, John.  Thanks for doing that.”</p>
<p>Both men were quiet for a moment, during which John noticed that Jeremy was starting to fidget.<br/>
“John, can I ask you something?”<br/>
“Shoot.”<br/>
“Your mate.  Cath Hilton.”<br/>
“Yeah?”<br/>
“Do you know if she’s seeing anyone?”<br/>
John hesitated.  “Oh.  Um, I don’t actually.  I don’t think so, but...  Not sure.”<br/>
Jeremy had a confused expression.  “How can you not know?”<br/>
“Because...  there’s a few things we’ve...  um...  Because of some things that happened, there’s a couple of subjects we tend not to talk about too much.  If at all.  And that’s one of them.”<br/>
“Ah.  Okay.  It’s just - I think she’s great.”<br/>
“She is great.”</p>
<p>John pre-empted any further discussion by making a show of checking and closing his notebook, then offered his hand to Jeremy.  “Thanks for the good work, mate.  Talk to you tonight.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>After spending two hours in Dave’s office fighting pointless paperwork, John took the opportunity to get some fresh air outside the main door of the store, sipping water as he watched the activity in the carpark.  His frown at the growing number of customer cars eased when he glanced inside the main window and saw that SimonG was actively directing customers towards the two extra checkouts John had asked him to open.<br/>
The sound of footsteps got his attention.  He turned to see the second supervisor of Facilities approaching.  “Morning, Robin.”<br/>
“Good morning, Mr Redmond.  Um, I was wondering if I could have a quick word.”  He glanced around him at the mix of staff and customers that were arriving.  “In private?  It’ll only take a minute.”<br/>
John shrugged.  “All right.  Let’s go over there.”<br/>
They walked further from the main door where it was quieter.<br/>
“So,” said John, “what can I do for you?”<br/>
Robin looked around.  “It’s about me leaving next year.  I wanted to let you know that I’d like to be extended through to mid-February rather than the end of January as we originally discussed.”<br/>
“Okay.  Well, that’s good news for the store, so thanks for that.”<br/>
“Yeah.  About that...”<br/>
“What about it?”<br/>
“I was wondering who’ll approve it.  Will I need to talk to Mr Thompson at the time, or is it something you can finalise before you leave next month?”<br/>
“Wait.  What?”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Two-fifteen pm</p>
<p>SimonB led the five women that made up the Promotions and Customer Care teams to the small meeting room where John and Roisin were waiting, seated on one side of the table.  Simon directed the women to sit then closed the door as he left.<br/>
Kayleigh frowned but said nothing when she realised the folder in front of John was the one he’d taken home the previous night.<br/>
John glanced at Roisin before he began.  “We’ve brought you in to have a quick chat about something that may have an impact on your permanent jobs at some point late next year.  This has been prompted by some work that’s been going on around the “Small Stores” project that’s based in our Area office.  In case you’ve not heard, they are literally small stores, much smaller than any of our existing locations.  Anyway.  It’s been decided that Customer Care and Promotions teams won’t be present in these new stores, purely because they’ll want the majority of the staff in the stores to be working on the equivalent of our main floor.  But there is talk - and at the moment it’s just talk - that the Care and Promotions teams could be removed from every store over time.  That’s not to say there’ll be redundancies, but the people in those teams will be absorbed into the main group of staff in each store.”</p>
<p>There were surprised expressions but no questions so he continued.</p>
<p>“In terms of Customer Care, the thinking is that specific function would be removed from the stores themselves and be replaced by an extended on-line service plus phone-based assistance, with any store-specific responsibilities taken on by the Reception desk and Admin Support teams.  As for Promotions - the in-store teams would be shut down altogether and suppliers would provide their own promotional materials and staff.</p>
<p>There’s two reasons why I’m telling you this.  As I said, it’s just talk at the moment, but if it does happen it’ll likely be applied across the company.  The discussion we’re having here is going on in every store in the country today and tomorrow, and everyone is getting the same key messages:  no redundancies and no changes for another eight to nine months at least if it goes ahead.<br/>
The other reason is that one of the Section heads asked why you five are being moved around different areas this week, rather than being assigned to just one.  We had wanted to tell you about all this last week, but because Head Office couldn’t get their act together, it’s ended up being a bit arse-about-face.  And I apologise for that.  You’re being moved around to put your considerable skills and existing experience to good use, plus to give you some new experience in different areas.  I mean,” - he indicated Rachel and Suze - “your work on Reception and in Admin Support, plus,” - he indicated the Promotions trio - “your experience on the tills, assistance in the warehouse office and with the other teams on the main floor - that’s all invaluable to the store at the moment.  I’ve heard nothing but good things about all of of you, and that’s after less than two days.”</p>
<p>Rachel spoke up.  “You said it’s just talk at the moment, right?”<br/>
“I did.”<br/>
“So how likely is it to be more than just talk?”<br/>
“The official line is that it’s too early to say, given that none of the new stores will be open until May or June at the earliest...  but my gut feeling is that it will happen at some point, regardless of how successful the new stores turn out to be.  And here’s why.  I don’t know where you all shop, but I don’t remember the last time I saw an in-house promotions team in one of the other chains.  And you’ll be aware of how widespread the use of 0800 numbers and Help sections on websites are.  That’s why I think it will happen eventually.”<br/>
Karen had a thought.  “Is there any chance that they’ll just reduce the size of the teams?”<br/>
John shook his head.  “No.  The talk is either about leaving things as-is or removing the functions altogether.  No half-measures.”</p>
<p>Roisin spoke up.  “But that’s not to say that there aren’t development opportunities in the areas you’re already in.<br/>
Customer Care is about relating to people, which is an important skill in general but particularly in business, either on behalf of yourself or whatever company you work for - especially if you become a Rep.<br/>
And as for Promotions - that’s about product knowledge and planning, as well as the actual promotion of a product or service.  Now, although this company may not require those skills in the future, our suppliers certainly will, along with thousands of businesses around the country.</p>
<p>Area Office is already working on skills and training packages for both of your teams in every store, and that’s slated to be available for you to take a look at in mid-January.  And we’ll be looking to lock in training opportunities starting in late-February or March.”</p>
<p>John started the summary he’d been practicing all morning, counting on his fingers:<br/>
“So - it’s not definite, but if it does happen it won’t be until late next year.<br/>
There won’t be any redundancies.<br/>
There will be training and experiences available for you to hone your skills if you want to keep doing what you’re doing, either for yourself or at another company.<br/>
And if you decide that you’d rather stay, you can be absorbed into one of the other teams.”</p>
<p>John discreetly checked the time.  “And I’m afraid that’s all the time we have right now.  While the timing of this isn’t ideal, it’s important that you’re aware of the current thinking but also have some certainty that it’s not going to happen until late next year, if at all.”<br/>
He closed the folder.<br/>
“Unfortunately, I now have to insist that you don’t mention any of this to anyone until we give you the okay, and that’s because your colleagues in the other stores are being told this at different times today and tomorrow.  At this stage it should be on Friday but we’ll let you know once that’s confirmed.  And we’ll talk again once we have more details, especially about the training options that Roisin mentioned.<br/>
Thank you all for your time.”</p>
<p>John was careful not to look any of the women in the eye as they got up to leave.  As the door closed behind Kayleigh, John twisted in his chair.  “How do you think that went?” he asked quietly.<br/>
Roisin was thoughtful.  “About as well as can be expected, given it’s just talk about things that probably won’t start happening for another ten months or so.  Just as well that Area went ahead and started looking at other training options for them, despite Head Office being all negative about it.”<br/>
“Yeah,” replied John.  “Well, that’s the easy one done.  Are you ready for this?”<br/>
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”<br/>
He picked up his phone.  “Helen - can you tell the staff rep that we’re ready for him, then fetch Shirley and bring her up here, please?<br/>
Thank you.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>“Come in.”</p>
<p>Helen followed Shirley Addlington into the small meeting room and closed the door behind them before taking the seat to the left of John.  Shirley looked confused, then concerned when she realised that Roisin and the staff rep were part of the assembled group.  “What’s going on?”<br/>
John pointed to the seat beside the staff rep.  “Sit down please.”<br/>
She did.  “What’s going on?”</p>
<p>“It’s been brought to my attention that you openly talked about Dave Thompson’s return and my upcoming departure when you’d been specifically told not to.”<br/>
“When was this?”<br/>
“Monday afternoon as you were leaving for the day.”<br/>
Shirley was quiet for a moment, then the expression on her face changed.  “That was a private phone call.”<br/>
“You were barely out of the staff entrance when you made that call.”<br/>
“Doesn’t mean anyone else heard me.”<br/>
“The witness clearly heard you from about ten yards away, and that person was one of many near the staff entrance at the time.  You were in the meeting with other Seniors earlier on Monday afternoon when I clearly stated that information was not to be mentioned to anyone else.  You mentioned both of those points while speaking on the phone outside the staff entrance at a time when many staff were departing and arriving.”<br/>
“But I have to speak up - my husband doesn’t hear very well.”<br/>
“All the more reason not to discuss privileged information in a space occupied by staff of all levels.”</p>
<p>John let that point hang in the air before he continued.<br/>
“Here’s what’s going to happen.  At exactly three o’clock you will present yourself to HR where you will be handed a copy of the written warning that is currently in the process of being prepared and loaded permanently onto your personal file.<br/>
You will then return to your Section and conduct yourself in the most professional manner that you can, for as long as you continue to be employed here.”</p>
<p>Shirley looked at him defiantly.<br/>
John returned the look.  “I know what you’re thinking, and it’s true.  But Dave Thompson won’t be back for another month and has no say over my decisions about staffing matters until he returns.  And the written warning will stay on your personal file regardless.”<br/>
He pointed at the door.<br/>
“Go back to your Section.  And don’t be late getting to HR.”</p>
<p>John turned to the staff rep.  “The information about Dave Thompson is public but the information about me is not.  So not a word to anyone.  Clear?”<br/>
“Understood, Mr Redmond.”<br/>
He followed Shirley from the room.<br/>
After a nod from John, Helen also left.</p>
<p>The room was silent.  John looked sideways at Roisin.  “You all right?”<br/>
Roisin simply nodded.<br/>
“I know you two get on well, but she’s part of the Senior staff.  As Head of HR it had to be you here today.  If I could have pulled in someone from another store I would have.”<br/>
“I know.”<br/>
“And you can’t talk to her about this either.”<br/>
“I know.”<br/>
“Who’s writing it up?”<br/>
“Pamela.  But I have to sign it.”<br/>
“Okay.  I realise you don’t work for Operations and can ignore what I’m about to say, but I really think you should make yourself scarce when Shirley gets there at three.  Go home a bit early if you feel you really need to.”<br/>
“I’ll make sure I’m out of sight but I can’t go early.  Area will go spare.”</p>
<p>John thought for a moment.  “Can you step out for a minute?  Don’t go far, I just want to make a quick call.”<br/>
Once the door closed, John hit speed-dial 2.  It was picked up immediately.<br/>
“Hi Cath.<br/>
Um, no.  I need your help with something...”</p>
<p>A minute later, John opened the door, indicated for Roisin to come in and held up his phone.  “Cath.”</p>
<p>“Hi Ro,” came her voice through the speaker.<br/>
“Hi Cath.”<br/>
“John told me what’s happened.  If you want to go home after you sign the paperwork, go right ahead.  I’ll approve it.”<br/>
“I would like to go home if that’s okay.”<br/>
“It is.  Because I was just going to tell you to go home, otherwise.”<br/>
“Can you do that?”<br/>
“Yes I can.  While I’m acting for Peter I’ve got more power than God.  So, yeah.  Do what you need to do then head home.  We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”<br/>
“Okay.  Thanks Cath.”<br/>
“No worries.  John - stay on the line.  There’s something I need to tell you.”<br/>
“Will do.”<br/>
“Bye Cath.”<br/>
Roisin closed the door behind her, the beginnings of a relieved smile on her face.</p>
<p>Cath paused.  “Has she gone?”<br/>
“Yep.”<br/>
“Door closed?”<br/>
“Yep.”<br/>
“Take me off speaker.”<br/>
“Done.”<br/>
“Good.  You’re an arsehole.”<br/>
“Cath...”<br/>
“You’re a fucking arsehole!  How could you do that to Ro?”<br/>
John quickly moved away from the door.  “Do you really think I wanted that to happen?  Hmm?  Do you honestly believe I wanted to put her through that?  It had to be done.  She’s the head of HR, and when one of my Seniors fucks up then the Head of HR has to be involved.  You know that.  You’ve done it yourself.”<br/>
“You should have brought someone else in.”<br/>
“There wasn’t time.  It had to be done today.  And it had to be her.”<br/>
“No.  There’s always time when a Senior is involved.”<br/>
“Hey.  I’m just following the HR-provided guidelines about this kind of thing.”<br/>
Cath lowered her voice.  “You know perfectly well those specific guidelines are complete horseshit.  That’s why I’m getting them changed.”  The only sound John could hear was Cath’s slow breathing.  Then, “You should be thankful that I’m not over there right now.”<br/>
“Why?”<br/>
“Because you’d be getting a beating, that’s why.  And you’d better make it up to her.”<br/>
“How the hell am I supposed to do that?”<br/>
“Think of something!”<br/>
The call ended abruptly, leaving John unable to do anything but grit his teeth.</p>
<p>“Shit.  Shit!”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Five-fifty pm</p>
<p>John had been sitting in “Little Blue” for almost fifteen minutes, waiting for Kayleigh to emerge from the staff entrance.  The engine had been idling for the last two minutes so he could run the heater to counter the steady temperature drop brought about by the light rain.<br/>
And he still couldn’t work out why she’d snapped at him half an hour earlier.</p>
<p>“I’m busy, all right?”<br/>
John held up his hands.  “All right, all right.   I heard you.  No need to get carried away...”</p>
<p>It wasn’t as if he’d startled her, or interrupted what she was doing.  He’d simply been passing and took a moment to tell her he’d be leaving about ten minutes later than usual.<br/>
But she’d reacted as if her job depended on getting the rice out of the box and on the shelf that very second.  Even the easy-going temp who was paired with her had taken a step back in surprise.<br/>
John had resisted the urge to ask what was on her mind, simply saying “Well, the offer still stands...” to her back before he walked away.</p>
<p>John was looking through the last of the texts on his work phone when Kayleigh got in and put on her seat belt without saying a word.<br/>
He put the phone in his pocket.  “Evening.”<br/>
“Hmmm.”<br/>
“What?”<br/>
“Nothing.”<br/>
“Really?”<br/>
“Really.  Can we just go?”<br/>
“All right.”  John put the car into reverse.  “I figure we could get dinner at the Chinese three blocks up.  What do you think?”<br/>
“No.”<br/>
“No?”<br/>
“No.  I’d rather just go home.”<br/>
“Oh.  Okay.  Any particular reason?”<br/>
“I just want to go home.  All right?”<br/>
“Fine.”</p>
<p>The next ten minutes were as uncomfortable a time as John could remember between them.  But after the third unprompted criticism of his driving he’d had enough.  He turned into the next side street and stopped where there was no cover and no protection from the now-steady rain.<br/>
“What are you doing?”<br/>
“Why are you mad at me?”<br/>
Kayleigh was silent.<br/>
“We’re not going anywhere until you talk to me.”  He tapped the windscreen.  “Unless you’d prefer to get out and walk in the rain.  Now what’s going on?”<br/>
Kayleigh reached for the door handle then thought better of it.  “Oh, I don’t know - this afternoon I found out that my job is going away next year, and it just happens to be your project that’s responsible for doing it.  Which you’ve probably known for ages but said nothing about.”<br/>
“That’s not completely true.  And we were told to keep quiet about it - like most of the things I work on.”<br/>
Kayleigh continued to look out the side window.  “And then Shirley had a go at me this afternoon after she got back from her meeting with you.”<br/>
“She did what?”<br/>
“Came back ranting about “spying bastards” and you dishing out written warnings while on some kind of power-trip, then had a go at me in front of everyone.  Said I was wasting her staff’s time and that Promotions had no business being on her Section.  I’d only been there a couple of minutes and was still finding out what they wanted me to do there.”<br/>
“What did she do that for?”<br/>
“I don’t know...  maybe because I told you what someone said about her and then you went and did that to her, after saying you didn’t want me to tell you or anyone what I’d heard.”</p>
<p>John now had a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.  “That’s not what happened.  You didn’t actually tell me anything, if you remember.  You wanted to ask about something I did last Friday, and I said no.  I did what I did today because she openly talked about Dave coming back and me leaving, despite having been specifically told not to talk to anyone about it.  You’ve known about that for over a week and haven’t told anyone, which is what I expect of the senior staff.  That’s why she got the written warning.”<br/>
“How did you know it was her?”<br/>
“Someone approached me, pointing out what she said and when.”<br/>
“Who?”<br/>
“Not important.  But she didn’t deny it.  It’s done.”<br/>
He turned his attention to the wing mirror, then back to Kayleigh.<br/>
“You haven’t told anyone, have you?”<br/>
Kayleigh was silent.<br/>
“Have you told anyone or not?”<br/>
“I mentioned it to Mandy and Steve on Sunday.”<br/>
He paused.  “But no one at work, right?”<br/>
“No.”<br/>
“Good.  Keep it that way.”</p>
<p>The rest of their journey was quiet, with just inane radio-chatter breaking the silence.  John didn’t speak again until he pulled up outside the small Bury house.</p>
<p>“About what Shirley did this afternoon.  Was it just to you?”<br/>
“Um...  No.  She was agitated when she got back, went on about me and Penny being a waste of space, then had a go at Steve and Carol as well.”<br/>
“Were there customers around?”<br/>
“Yes.  Tons.”<br/>
“Shit.  Did you mention it to anyone else?  Another Section Head?  Helen?  One of the Simons?  Anyone apart than me?”<br/>
“No.”<br/>
“Do you know if any of the others did?”<br/>
“...I don’t know.”<br/>
“Right.  Here’s what you’re going to do.  Tomorrow morning when you get in, make a beeline for the first Assistant Manager you see and tell them what Shirley said and did.  Make it clear that you were on her Section because you’d been put there as part of the semi-rotation going on.”<br/>
“Okay.  Then what?”<br/>
“Nothing.  Don’t mention it to anyone else.  Don’t do anything about it until you hear otherwise from me, one of the Assistant Managers or someone in HR.  You won’t be going anywhere near Frozen Foods for a couple of days.  And if Shirley approaches you directly, tell her she has to speak to your Section Head in the first instance.”</p>
<p>“What are you going to do?”<br/>
He didn’t reply.<br/>
“John?”<br/>
“I don’t know yet.  I need to think.  And I can’t drop you home tomorrow.  I’ve got to head over to Area Office, probably until eight or so.”<br/>
“Why so late?”<br/>
“I can’t tell you.”<br/>
“Oh.  Right.  It’s just that I’m going for drinks on Friday night, seeing as how some of the girls are finishing up for the year on Friday.”<br/>
“I know.  Elsie told me.”<br/>
He glanced outside.  “Steve’s waiting at the door - you should go.  Don’t let him get wet.”<br/>
She hesitated.<br/>
“Seriously.  Go before the rain starts coming in sideways.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>“What a mess.”  And not just the takeaway-rice he’d spilled on the kitchen bench.</p>
<p>Shirley had broken the rules, so deserved that written warning.<br/>
He’d put Roisin in an awkward position with regard to her friend Shirley, and even though he had followed the current procedure Cath was now mad at him.<br/>
Shirley’s reaction to the written warning had earned herself a second written warning.  There was no avoiding that now.<br/>
Kayleigh had assumed that Shirley’s reaction was due to John using what she’d said to him, which was presumably why she was now going out for Friday drinks (“a late session with the girls” according to Elsie) even though she and John had previously arranged for her to stay at his place on Friday night.<br/>
And because John was annoyed that she’d changed her plans based on yet-another wrong assumption, he’d been quite cold to her, barely looking at her as she got out of the car.</p>
<p>And it was still only Wednesday.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Thursday 19 December, six-twenty am</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>John and Jeremy had finished the walkthrough of the store and surrounds and moved to a quiet spot to finish the handover.  But John soon sensed that Jeremy was trying to steer the conversation away from work.<br/>
Jeremy didn’t keep him waiting long.  “You remember yesterday when I asked if Cath is seeing anyone?”<br/>
“Yeah...”<br/>
“Could you give me her number?”<br/>
“Bad idea.  Last time we spoke she ended up shouting at me, so me giving you her number won’t go down well.  Look.  Just...  keep it simple.  Ask if she’d like to go out for a drink sometime.  Leave a message on her work phone.  She’ll be there by eight, and will probably answer you one way or the other today.”<br/>
“Okay.  Cheers, mate.”</p>
<p>John hated it when guys asked him about Cath.  Always had.  He’d always wanted to say “You’re not good enough for her so go away”, but after the way he’d treated her years earlier he had no business judging anyone else.</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Seven-thirty am</p>
<p>Brenda Kelson marched unannounced into Dave’s office and closed the door.  “John, we need to talk.”<br/>
He looked up from the mass of paper on his desk.  “Oh.  Hi Brenda.  Um...  what’s going on?”<br/>
“Are you aware that Shirley Addlington basically lost it yesterday afternoon in front of staff and customers?”<br/>
“Yes.  Unofficially.”<br/>
“So what have you done about it?”<br/>
“I told the person to speak to the first Assistant Manager they see when they arrive today, to get the ball rolling as per the new procedures.  How did you hear about it?”<br/>
“Steve rang last night, asking for my advice.  I told him the same.”<br/>
“When’s he due in?”<br/>
“Just before eight.”<br/>
“Okay.  I’ll make sure Simon is in plain sight at the main door.”<br/>
“Tell him that’s his highest priority for the morning.”<br/>
John bristled.  “No, his highest priority is to make sure things run smoothly on the main floor until the bulk of the staff arrive.”<br/>
“Hmph.”<br/>
“Hey - I know Steve’s your nephew, but please stay out of this.  It’ll get sorted, all right?”<br/>
“You don’t seem to be taking this very seriously.”<br/>
“I’m doing what you taught me - keeping my personal feelings out of it.  Now please let me finish this lot.”</p>
<p>John sighed after Brenda disappeared from his view.  “That’s all I need - those two feuding again...”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Eight-fifty am</p>
<p>Shirley had expected the written warning sooner or later, but even so had made her apologies to the staff in her Section in the fifteen minutes before the Seniors’ meeting began.<br/>
She didn’t expect it to come out during the meeting itself - Redmond wasn’t the public-shaming type - so when he’d pulled her aside after the meeting “for a word” she’d been mentally prepared and ready to accept it.<br/>
But she hadn’t expected what he said next:<br/>
“Or you could resign right now.”<br/>
Shirley’s jaw dropped.  “What?”<br/>
“I’m serious.  You might think of it as a simple over-reaction, but it happened in front of staff and customers.  That’s unacceptable.  The declaration you signed makes it very clear what should happen when staff don’t meet those expectations.  So.  Do you want to resign?”<br/>
“No.”<br/>
“Fine.  Written warning, it is.  It’s the same room as yesterday, at nine-thirty.  You will have representation there.  Do I have to send someone to collect you?”<br/>
“No,” she snapped.<br/>
“Good.  Don’t be late.”</p>
<p>John waited until Shirley had stomped away before reaching for his phone that had been vibrating in his pocket.<br/>
“You’ve heard, then.<br/>
Yes.<br/>
Look - just hear me out...”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Nine am</p>
<p>John did his customary triple-knock on the HR-office door, but this time it was opened without the usual cheery greeting.  Barbara moved aside and John stepped in to find Roisin looking obviously unhappy while Barbara and Pamela were both trying to look anywhere other than at Roisin.  John turned to Barbara and Pamela.  “Could you give us a minute please?”<br/>
The two women hesitated, then left quietly after Roisin nodded at them.  John waited for the door to close before he spoke.</p>
<p>“I gave her the option but she said no.  It’s at nine-thirty in the small meeting room.”<br/>
Roisin didn’t react.<br/>
“She’s given me no choice.”<br/>
“I know.”<br/>
“I’ll come and get you.”<br/>
“No.  Best I arrive separately, so it looks as if HR is actually independent.”<br/>
“You are independent.  You and the staff rep are there to make sure everything is by the book.”  He glanced at the form on the desk.  “Is that it?”<br/>
“Yes.  I’ve signed it.”<br/>
“All right.  I’ll see you in there.”</p>
<p>John closed the door as he left.  Simon was standing a discreet distance away from the door and motioned for John to approach him.  “Excuse me, John.  There’s been another complaint about Shirley’s actions yesterday.”<br/>
“How many does that make?”<br/>
“Six.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Nine thirty-five am</p>
<p>After Shirley had been shown into the small meeting room, John had instructed her to sit in the only empty chair and began to introduce the other people in the room.<br/>
Shirley hadn’t shown any interest but simply pointed at the letter on the table in front of her.<br/>
“Is this it, then?”<br/>
“It is.”</p>
<p>John allowed her a few moments to read it.  When she finished she glanced at Roisin - who was looking at the table to avoid meeting anyone’s gaze - then up at John.  “Ready when you are, Mr Redmond.”</p>
<p>“Before you arrived I briefed everyone on the situation that occurred yesterday and the nature of the complaints that we’ve received about your behaviour.  Given that the events took place in front of customers and staff, I had no option other than to have that written warning prepared and lodged in your personal file.  Is there anything you would like to say?”</p>
<p>“I accept that what I did wasn’t a good look for myself or the store, but I was upset and angry after basically being ambushed with a written warning not long before that.”  She glanced around the table before looking directly at the staff rep.  “It would have been nice if that could have been taken into consideration, but it’s now obvious that was never going to happen, what with Kitson being Mr Redmond’s girlfriend.”</p>
<p>The staff rep wasn’t the only person that turned to look at John with a surprised expression.</p>
<p>John was quiet for a moment.  “Roisin.  If you would, please...”<br/>
Roisin didn’t look up.  “Mr Redmond officially declared his relationship status with that member of staff almost five weeks ago.”<br/>
“Since when,” John continued, “I have removed myself from all direct and indirect manager-employee interactions of consequence with that person, with the exception of informing her about the correct process to follow after suffering your outbursts yesterday.  And if you’d been listening, you would have heard me clearly say there were “complaints” - plural - about your behaviour, including three from permanent members of your team.”</p>
<p>Shirley’s confident expression disappeared.</p>
<p>John waited for the silence to become uncomfortable before he spoke again.  “It’s quite simple.  Either the store can depend on you to perform your duties in a professional manner, or it can’t.  If it were any other time of year I would have the option of placing you under the direct supervision of one of the Assistant Managers until your performance improved, but there’s just six days until Christmas and we don’t have that luxury.  They’re just too busy.  So either you start performing to the level expected of someone in your position, or I replace you with someone who will.  What’s it going to be?”<br/>
“Replace?”<br/>
“As in, have someone take over your position for an extended period of time while you return to set hours and standard duties.”<br/>
“Well, obviously I want to stay in my current position.”</p>
<p>No one in the room expected his response - “Good.  I hoped you would.” - which had every one of the attendees looking at John.</p>
<p>“I’m going to do you a favour,” he continued.  “I’m going to give you sixty minutes for an early, extended tea-break, during which you will leave the store, find somewhere relatively quiet and get your thoughts together about these last few days - so when you come back you’ll be in the right frame of mind to carry on.  But by the end of today I expect you to have had a quiet word to each of the people who copped it yesterday where you will apologise for what you said and did.  That’s not negotiable.”<br/>
“I have been apologising this morning.”<br/>
“Not to everyone, you haven’t.”<br/>
Shirley nodded.  “I will.  But where does this leave me?”<br/>
His reply was simple.  “You’ve had two written warnings in two days.  Does it need saying?”  He nodded towards the door.  “Be back on your section in one hour, please.”</p>
<p>After Shirley left, John went over to the staff rep and shook his hand.  “Thank you for coming in at short notice, Patrick.”<br/>
“Not a problem, Mr Redmond.  That was very decent of you, just now.”<br/>
John shrugged.  “Obviously, none of what you just heard leaves this room.”<br/>
“I understand.”</p>
<p>Helen and Simon followed Patrick out of the room, leaving John alone with Roisin.<br/>
She waited for the sound of footsteps to fade away before speaking.  “Jesus...  I really thought you were going to sack her then.  Especially after that little stunt about Kayleigh.”<br/>
John didn’t react.<br/>
“Why didn’t you?”<br/>
“Ohhh...  Given that she’s never acted quite this way before, I’m prepared to believe that she might be under some kind of...   “extraordinary stress” at the moment.”<br/>
“Uhuh...”<br/>
“It’s not as if she’s gotten away with anything.  I mean, she’s now got two written warnings so is effectively on probation for the next few months, regardless of what Dave might say when he gets back.  There’s at least one person on her team who could take over her job in a heartbeat, and she knows it.  And Head Office might stick their oar in if there’s more customer complaints than they’re prepared to put up with.  I doubt it, but you never know.”</p>
<p>Roisin looked at him for a moment.  “Can I say something, off the record?”<br/>
“All right.”<br/>
“If you keep this up you might start to look like a soft touch.  I don’t think many managers would have done what you did.”<br/>
“Hardly.  I’ve just followed the process.  It’s now all on Shirley, right?  If she screws up again, being one of Dave’s favourites won’t save her.  Now, maybe she won’t actually get sacked, but there’s been plenty of staff who were “encouraged” to resign rather than be publicly dismissed, and most people never hear the truth.”<br/>
“Yeah, I guess.  Um, John?”<br/>
“Yes?”<br/>
“Thanks for giving her a break.”<br/>
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.  You’ll be thinking I’m a soft touch next.”  He winked.  “And remember...”<br/>
“I know.  Not a word.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>The door to the Admin Support office was half-open but John knocked on the door like he always did.<br/>
“Come in.”<br/>
He walked in to see Rachel, Pat Smythe and Brenda Kelson at their desks.<br/>
“Good morning, ladies.”  He glanced over to Brenda, who was avoiding his gaze.  “Pat, would you mind?”<br/>
“Not a problem, Mr Redmond.  Rachel - let’s have our break now.”  She followed Rachel out of the room and closed the door behind her.</p>
<p>Brenda finally looked up at him.  “Well?<br/>
“Written warning.  Obviously.”<br/>
“Anything else?”<br/>
“Just that.  Plus the certainty that there can’t be a next time.”<br/>
Brenda scowled.  “Why didn’t you sack the bitch?  You still can, you know.  Do everyone a favour, John.  Send her up the fucking road.”</p>
<p>“Brenda...  I know you two don’t get along, what with her having given Steve a hard time like she did, but you need to forget that for a minute.”  He leaned in.  “Don’t you think I wanted her gone, after the shit she gave me and Cath all those years?  All while Thompson looked the other way?  Eh?  I’ve done what needed to be done, and made sure the store can still make use of her experience while it’s really busy.  All she can do now is tow the line, because if she screws up even once she’ll have to go.  Even Thompson won’t be able to save her.  And since Steve is the logical choice to take over her job, that’ll make it all the sweeter, don’t you think?”<br/>
“It’ll be sweet, all right...” she finally admitted.</p>
<p>John’s shoulders slumped when he glanced at the wall clock.  “Oh, I’ve got to get moving.  But while I remember - Helen’s confirmed that she’ll fill in for you for a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon so you and Bill can come to the project lunch.  I’ll show her the setup so she can get hold of us if she needs help or whatever.”<br/>
“Thanks John.”<br/>
“No need to thank me.  Helen loves chocolate, if that helps...”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Two-twenty pm</p>
<p>Since arriving that morning, Kayleigh and Penny had each done two shifts on the tills plus been shunted around the different sections as they were needed.  They were currently on restocking duties under Keith’s supervision, and he’d had them rotating and restocking shelves with tinned fruit for thirty tedious minutes.  They were both head-down in a large box of tinned peaches when they heard heavy footsteps approaching from behind them.  Kayleigh briefly looked around, saw suit trousers and black shoes and immediately groaned.  “Yeah, all right.  Hang on...”<br/>
“Excuse me?”<br/>
Kayleigh looked up to see Simon standing there, a notepad in his hand and an annoyed look on his face.  “Oh!  Sorry Mr Barrett.  I thought you were someone else.”<br/>
“Huh.  Anyone in particular?”<br/>
“Oh.  Um...”<br/>
“Doesn’t matter, as you’ve no business speaking to anyone - staff or customers - with that tone.  Not without a good reason.”<br/>
“Yes Mr Barrett.  Sorry.”<br/>
“All right, then.  Now.  I’m doing the follow-up after yesterday.  Have you received an apology yet?”<br/>
“From Mrs Addlington?  Yes.  About fifteen minutes ago.”<br/>
“Right.  And you?”<br/>
“Yes,” replied Penny.  “She spoke to both of us at the same time.”<br/>
Simon was writing.  “Very good.  Thank you both.”  He moved past them and headed towards the rear of the store.<br/>
Penny waited until no one was in earshot.  “Way to go, K.  Pissing off the Assistant Manager.  Just great.  Why?”<br/>
“I don’t know.  I thought it might have been Keith coming over to nag us about being too slow again.  Dunno who he’s trying to impress.”<br/>
“Don’t you?  I’m thinking it’s got to do with Redmond’s position opening up when he leaves next month.  Not much point though - what with him having set up Helen Mitchell to take over.”<br/>
“Wait.  What?”<br/>
“I heard Shirley talking about it as she was leaving on Monday.  I’m surprised you didn’t hear it as well, the noise she was making.  Anyway, that’s why I’m guessing that Keith is being such a “manager” today.”<br/>
“Yeah, I suppose.”<br/>
“Anyway.  Never mind him.  You looking forward to drinks tomorrow?”<br/>
“I guess...”<br/>
“You’re not gonna skip them are you?  Tomorrow’s the last day this year for Gail and Steph.  Plus Megan is moving back to Glasgow next week.”<br/>
“Yeah.  I heard about that.  Shame really.”<br/>
“It is.  Which is why we have to give her a big send-off.  And Elsie’s been in a good mood since Tuesday, so it’s going to be a great night.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>“Strawberry?  Orange?  Fondant?  Caramel?”<br/>
“Anything and everything is fine, thanks.”<br/>
Brenda was smiling.  “I’ll say this, Helen - you’re not fussy about your chocolate.  I approve of that.”</p>
<p>John and Helen were in Dave’s office, using the video conferencing setup to talk with Brenda who was in Area Office for the afternoon.  They both looked around as Simon entered.  Out of habit he checked the video screen - “Hi Mrs Kelson” - before handing his notepad to John.<br/>
John glanced at the page then at Simon.  “Is that all of them?”<br/>
“Yep.”<br/>
“Very good.”  He was writing on Simon’s notepad.  “We’re not quite done here, so can you start a store-check please?  And pass this to HR on your way through, if you would.”<br/>
Simon closed the notepad without reading it.  “Sure thing.”<br/>
The door had barely closed behind Simon before John’s phone began to ring.  He frowned when he saw the name of the caller.<br/>
“Hello Dave.<br/>
Sure.  Give me a second.”</p>
<p>He closed the door as he stepped outside but wasn’t gone long.  And when he returned his expression was neutral.</p>
<p>“Brenda, we have to go private for a minute.  Go grab yourself a drink, yeah?”<br/>
“Right John.”<br/>
Helen switched off the unit then turned to John.  “What’s going on?”<br/>
“Dave just told me that he’s not going to look at the various requests and suggestions until after he gets back next month.”<br/>
“What - none of them?”<br/>
“None of them.  He also said not to bother sending him any more.  He’ll be making daily operations his highest priority, so will get around to looking at them once he’s back and settled - so maybe not until early February at the earliest.”<br/>
“Oh.  That’s a bit shit.  There were some good ideas in that lot.”<br/>
John nodded.  “I’ll tell everyone in the Seniors meeting tomorrow morning.  Although I’ll need to talk to Shirley first.”<br/>
“Why?”<br/>
“Because he also said it’s time the staff knew that I’m leaving.”<br/>
“So why tell Shirley?”<br/>
“To make it clear that her written warnings still stand.  Especially the first one where she talked about me leaving when she knew perfectly well she wasn’t supposed to.  That’s why Simon came in, to tell me Shirley has apologised to everyone for yesterday.  So that’s something.”</p>
<p>He nodded towards the video unit.  “Do you want any more practice with this thing?”<br/>
“No, I’m good.  And if I have trouble I can just call you, right?”<br/>
“Yeah.  Well, can you go help Simon with the store-check please.  And then just keep an eye on the main floor.”<br/>
“Right.  See you later.”</p>
<p>John sat quietly for a minute before turning the video unit back on.  Brenda was waiting, mug in hand.  “Oh,” she said, “no Helen?”<br/>
“No.  She’s happy, thanks to your excellent tuition.”<br/>
“All right.  So, when are you coming over?”<br/>
“Leaving here just after five.”<br/>
“We’ll have the usual parking place available in front of the building.”<br/>
“Oh, thank you.  Um...”<br/>
“I know - you’re busy.  See you after five.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Five pm</p>
<p>Kayleigh was in the soups-section of aisle three, making good use of the trolley she’d borrowed as she filled the shelves.  She heard heavy footsteps approaching from behind, and turned to see John standing a short distance away.  “Hello, Mr Redmond.”<br/>
“Hello, Miss Kitson.”  He lowered his voice.  “I’m expected in Area shortly so I have to make this quick.  I’m told you got your apology.”<br/>
“I did.  Same time as Penny.”<br/>
“Was Shirley sincere?  Did she seem genuine about it?”<br/>
“Oh yeah.  She didn’t say much but didn’t just say “Sorry” and walk away, either.”<br/>
“Good.  Good to hear.”<br/>
“So is that it, then?  Apologies all round and she’s forgiven?”<br/>
“Not at all...  but I can’t talk about it.”  He glanced around.  “And certainly not here.”<br/>
Kayleigh nodded.  “Do you really have to be at Area until eight tonight?”<br/>
“At least.  We’ve got things that have to be wrapped up before the team disbands for Christmas.”<br/>
“Even though you have to be here early tomorrow, same as usual?”<br/>
“Yep.”  He checked the large wall clock visible above the checkouts.  “And now I need to get going.  I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”<br/>
He made to move but she briefly touched his arm.  “Will you call me when you finish tonight?  I miss not being able to just talk with you.”<br/>
“Sure.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Seven-fifteen pm</p>
<p>Kayleigh was only too happy to excuse herself from the lounge when her phone rang - “give me a second, John” - and step out into the kitchen for privacy.<br/>
“Hi,” said John.  “How are things?  Nice dinner, then?”<br/>
“Um, yeah…  dinner was nice but things are a bit awkward at the moment.”<br/>
“How so?”<br/>
“Alfie’s got it in his head that since he’s almost nine he can say anything he likes.  He’s been mouthing off a bit lately but since Mandy isn’t doing anything about it Steve’s decided to just avoid him as much as possible - longer hours at work and spending even more time out front or in his shed.  No one’s saying much.  It’s not great.  I’m actually glad to be doing longer hours at the store myself, to be honest.”</p>
<p>John bit his lip.  He hadn’t been an Alfie-fan since the day he’d fallen and sprained his wrist all those months ago, and the thought of that kid openly mouthing off at his own family just rubbed him up the wrong way.  “Little shit,” he thought.</p>
<p>Kayleigh was speaking again.  “So, this is a bit earlier than you said.  Are you done already?”<br/>
“No.  The guys have gone out to pick up our pre-ordered dinner so I’ve got a few minutes in here to myself.”<br/>
“Where is here?”<br/>
“Project room.”<br/>
“After yesterday…  I realised I’ve hardly seen you today.”<br/>
“We’re both busy, is all.”<br/>
“Yeah, but it’s just that I probably won’t see you much tomorrow either, plus I’m going to the drinks after work.  Maybe I just won’t go.”<br/>
“No, don’t do that.  Go out, have fun.  Elsie assures me it’ll be memorable at the very least.”<br/>
“Elsie told you that?”<br/>
“Yeah - I saw her just before I spoke to you on my way out.”<br/>
“But…”<br/>
“Seriously.  Go.”<br/>
“Oh.  Okay…”<br/>
“But come into town on Saturday.  The project is having a last lunch before we disband for Christmas.  We’re all working through Saturday but are having another of those big partner-lunches that you’ve been to.”<br/>
“Oh, that sounds all right.”<br/>
“And then stay with me on Saturday night.”<br/>
“Stay over?”<br/>
“Yeah.  Let’s go out for dinner and see a movie.  There’s bound to be a Christmas film on somewhere.  Unless you’ve already seen them all?”<br/>
“There is one I want to see - yeah.  But won’t you have the usual late call with the store?”<br/>
“Sure, but I can defer it a little bit, fifteen or twenty minutes or whatever until after the movie finishes.  So, yeah.  Come to lunch, we’ll go out and then stay with me.  Or not.  Up to you.”<br/>
Kayleigh barely let him finish his sentence.  “I want to stay.  Absolutely.”<br/>
“Okay.  Great.  Well, lunch is going to be from about twelve-thirty, then we’ll be back working for another few hours or so.  And that’ll be it for the year.”<br/>
A thought struck him.  “When is Elsie’s last day?  I’ve forgotten.  Is it Monday or Tuesday?”<br/>
“Tuesday.  Normally she would have been finishing tomorrow, but with Eddie having left her, there’s no one at home for her to be with.”<br/>
“Right.  Right.”<br/>
“Why?”<br/>
“Never you mind.  But it’s all good.  Just don’t say anything to her, okay?”<br/>
“Okay…”</p>
<p>John then heard doors opening and voices a short distance away.  “Hey - they’re back with our dinner.  Best I join in or they’ll scoff the lot.”<br/>
“All right then.  Night, John.”<br/>
“Goodnight beautiful.”</p>
<p>He waited for Kayleigh to hang up before he swiped his phone and brought up the Contact list.<br/>
“Jim?<br/>
Me.<br/>
You all still going tomorrow tonight?<br/>
Good.  Count me in.<br/>
Just me.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>John was barely half-way through his burger when his phone started to ring.  “Christ - my life’s not my own…”  Then he noted who was calling.<br/>
“Hi Cath.”<br/>
“Hey you.  Where are you right now?”<br/>
“In the project room.  Having dinner.”<br/>
“By yourself?”<br/>
“No.”<br/>
“I need a word.  Find somewhere private, would you?”<br/>
“Why?  Are you going to shout at me again?”<br/>
He waved away the concerned looks from the others in the project room.<br/>
“I will if you don’t find somewhere private.  Move it.”<br/>
“Fine.  Hang on…”</p>
<p>He piled more chips onto his plate and moved through to the machine room.  “Right.  What’s going on?”<br/>
“Ro told me what happened this morning.  Why did you let Addlington get away with saying what she did?”<br/>
“Oh, not you as well…  She didn’t actually get away with anything, all right?  She took her shot, I pointed out that I was the one in the right, she had nothing else to say - and that was that.  And as for what she did say - well, I could hardly tell everyone in the room to forget it, right?  And none of that will matter when I’m out of there next month.”<br/>
“So what did you actually do, then?”<br/>
“Reminded her in front of everyone that she’s got two written warnings.  And since everyone knows that Seniors are “three strikes and you’re out”...  she got the message.  It’s done.”</p>
<p>“Did you take it easy on Addlington because I told you to make it up to Ro?”<br/>
“She’s got two written warnings and the promise of instant dismissal if she fucks up again.  That’s not taking it easy on her.  More importantly though - we have to talk about Roisin.”<br/>
“Why?”<br/>
“She shouldn’t be in the position of thanking me for seemingly going easy on someone.  As Head of HR, she’s supposed to be a hard-arse.”<br/>
Cath scoffed.  “Like you were this morning, you mean?”<br/>
“You know perfectly well what I mean.  Until you get the guidelines changed, she’s going to be first-pick when any of the Seniors screw up.  Today there was wiggle-room but next time there might not be.  And, while I think of it - you can’t make a habit of letting her go home early when work-shit gets her upset.”<br/>
“Hang on - I’m supposed to be giving you a telling-off, not the other way round.”<br/>
John pressed on.  “If something like today happens when Dave’s back, he won’t give a shit how Roisin feels about it.  And he’ll go over your head the first time he thinks his store’s HR-head isn’t up to the job.”<br/>
Cath was quiet for a moment.  “Yeah, I know.  So what’s going in your write-up about all this?”<br/>
“Just the usual bollocks about HR’s assistance being vital in resolving the situation.  I won’t mention the rest of it.”<br/>
“Thanks John.”<br/>
“Have a word with her, yeah?  Sooner the better.  I think she’s going for drinks with the usual mob tomorrow after work, so invite yourself along and have a chat.”<br/>
“All right.”</p>
<p>John looked down at his now-empty plate.  “Are you still coming to the project lunch on Saturday?”<br/>
“Yes, but not for long - I’ll be getting my shit together for the drive down to London on Sunday morning.”<br/>
“Long enough for lunch and presents, though - right?”<br/>
“Of course.  Um, John?”<br/>
“Yes?”<br/>
“What do you know about a message from Jeremy Warner on my desk phone this morning?”<br/>
“Oh, that…”<br/>
“He’s one of the Duty Managers at the store, right?”<br/>
“Yes.”<br/>
“Well?”<br/>
“...He asked if you were seeing anyone.  Apparently he thinks you’re great.”<br/>
“Really?  What did you say?”<br/>
“I told him he was right.  Mind you, that was before you called me an arsehole.”<br/>
“Oh, don’t sulk.”  She chuckled.  “What’s he like?”<br/>
“I don’t know...  hard-working, good attitude, trying to get ahead, all the usual stuff.”<br/>
“Pity…  why didn’t you just tell him that he’s not my type?”<br/>
“Too awkward.  I assume you’ll let him down gently?”<br/>
“Already have.”</p>
<p>John quickly changed the subject to avoid contemplating the uncomfortable chat he’d be having with Jeremy the next morning.  “You’ve got plenty in for Muffin, right?”<br/>
“More than you’ll need for the fortnight.”<br/>
“Very good.  All right, then.  Sleep well.  See you Saturday.”<br/>
“Bye you.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Friday 20 December, ten am</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>John had been on a video-call to Area Office since the Seniors’ meeting had ended.  He’d made a point of telling the Assistant Managers how much he’d be relying on them for most of the day, given the pressure he and the “Small Stores” project team were under.<br/>
Which wasn’t exactly true.<br/>
The team was busy, but it was more last-minute cleanup work rather than having to meet a critical deadline.  But as excuses went - it was ideal.</p>
<p>It had been good enough to keep the morning handover-chat with Jeremy to an absolute minimum, meaning John couldn’t be drawn into a discussion about why Cath had showed no more than polite interest in Jeremy the previous day.</p>
<p>It had been good enough to keep to a minimum the uncomfortable conversation with Shirley when he’d pre-warned her that the news of his upcoming departure was no longer off-limits for discussion.</p>
<p>But it hadn’t quite been good enough for him to avoid the Seniors’ meeting altogether.  He’d had to advise the full meeting that his departure could now be openly discussed, only to be informed that rumours of his departure were already starting to circulate anyway.<br/>
And then things got awkward.<br/>
“What?  None of them?”<br/>
“No,” replied John.  “Dave won’t consider any of the requests or suggestions until after he gets back, and then probably not until sometime in February.  And he doesn’t want any more sent to him until after he returns.”<br/>
Craig piped up.  “Didn’t you point out how useful some of the improvements would be around this place?”<br/>
“Excuse me,” said John, an edge in his voice.  “It’s quite simple.  When Dave went on leave that responsibility was passed to me, so I reviewed the requests and passed them to Area Office for the final Yes or No.  Now that Dave has taken that responsibility back, he decides if and when to review them and take them further.  Yesterday he told me he has no plans to do anything with any of them until after he returns.  That’s the bottom line.”<br/>
“But-”<br/>
“Look.  They’ve all been recorded.  Nothing’s been lost.  When he’s ready to start looking at them, they’ll be waiting in the system.  And when he’s ready to look at some more, he’ll call for more.  Simple.”<br/>
John pretended not to spot the source of the quiet muttering that followed.  “Sorry - what was that?  I missed it.”<br/>
Silence.<br/>
“No, come on.  Someone said something.  What was it?”<br/>
More silence.<br/>
John sighed.  “All right.  Well…  If you’re not going to say anything then we’re done here.  Everyone back to it please.”  He picked up his phone and swiped the face.  “Last one out close the door, thanks.”<br/>
He avoided looking at any of the Senior staff as they began to file out.<br/>
“Good morning.  Can I speak to Karen Whitford please?<br/>
John Redmond in MCS1.<br/>
No, I’ll wait.<br/>
Thank you.”</p>
<p>The door finally closed.  John waited for the footsteps to fade before whispering - “Hang on a second” - before standing and walking to the far corner of the room.<br/>
“Hi Cath.”<br/>
“John, why are you ringing me and pretending to talk to your Operations Manager?”<br/>
“I had a meeting room full of stroppy Seniors, and I wanted them to get back to their Sections.”<br/>
“Why stroppy?”<br/>
“I told them that Thompson isn’t going anywhere near their requests and suggestions until February.”<br/>
“Okay…”<br/>
“Every one of those requests needs money from the store’s budget to be spent on it.”<br/>
“Ah.  Which Dave probably won’t agree to.”<br/>
“No.  And they all knew it.  But rather than let them spend time in here trying to come to terms with that, I wanted them back at it even though they were still annoyed.”<br/>
“Interesting approach.  Good luck with that, John…”</p>
<p>“Anyway.  Can you put me through to Karen now?”<br/>
“Wait.  You actually wanted to talk to her?”<br/>
“It’s more “having to”, rather than “wanting to” - you know.  But, before that - are the future-options documents in a state to be looked at yet?”<br/>
“They’re on the rough side, but even so - you know that no one can see those until after every Customer Care and Promotions team get the news, right?”<br/>
“I know.  It’s just - if all the teams get told by the end of today, I’d like to show Kayleigh the kind of things that are being lined up for the Promotions teams, at least.”<br/>
“Hmmm…  that should be okay.  But we’ll have to sanitise it before she can see it.  I’ll get Shannon on to that this afternoon.”<br/>
“Thank you.  Oh, by the way - is there any chance I can have my watch back?”<br/>
“Sorry John - I didn’t catch that.”<br/>
“Come on, Cath…”<br/>
“No - missed that as well.  I’m putting you through to Karen Whitford now...”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>John didn’t think so highly of himself that he expected the staff to pay close attention to his whereabouts now that his upcoming departure was common knowledge, but with a busy day expected in the store he decided to reduce the number of possible distractions by one and set himself up to be in Dave’s office for the entire day.</p>
<p>With three exceptions.</p>
<p>The first was at eleven-thirty when he had Roisin bring the Customer Care and Promotions teams into the small meeting room.<br/>
“Thanks for your time,” John began.  “This is just to let you know that every one of the Customer Care and Promotions teams across the country have now had the same discussion we did on Wednesday.  A such, you are now freely able to discuss it with your colleagues here and in the other stores, your Section heads or your staff rep if you feel the need.”<br/>
He glanced at Roisin before continuing.  “And while you’ve not received any actual details, I can tell you that the information you’ll get in January will recognise the skills you already have plus some thoughts about extra training and experiences that will help you in the future.  Now, because none of this is definite, it won’t be setting out timeframes for any of that to happen, but it will make it clear that you will get training if it comes to that.”<br/>
The women were quiet.  Then Rachel spoke up.<br/>
“The way you’re talking…  it seems even more definite than on Wednesday.”<br/>
“It’s not definite, but Area Office is working on the assumption that it could happen so have got on with it rather than having to rush things later.”<br/>
“Do you still think it’s likely?”<br/>
“Personally?  Yes, at some point.  But I’m not Head Office,” he quickly added, “so my opinion doesn’t actually make a difference in the end.”<br/>
John didn’t wait for more questions.  “Well…  that’s all I have to tell you, so I won’t hold keep you any longer.  Other than to repeat that it’s not definite, and if…  IF it happens, there won’t be redundancies and it won’t be rushed.  Um, yeah.  Thanks again for your time.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The second exception was immediately prior to Megan’s official farewell during the afternoon tea break.  John made his way to the cafeteria well before the majority of Megan’s well-wishers were due to arrive, taking the opportunity to have a quiet word before handing her a unmarked brown box.  Megan could hear the distinctive sound of liquid moving in a bottle.<br/>
“Could I get you to take this with you?  It’s brandy for your new boss,” he explained.<br/>
“Is that the bribe so Mrs Carson would give me a job?”  joked Megan.<br/>
“Not at all,” John replied.  “Colleen was very happy to have you join them.  This is my Thank You to her for fast-tracking your appointment.”<br/>
His eyes darted between the wall clock and the main door.<br/>
“Look - I need to get back to it.  Can I just say - thank you for all your hard work while you’ve been here, good luck to you - and Merry Christmas.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The final exception was just after five o’clock when he spotted Kayleigh from the observation window on the first floor.  With staff both ending and starting their work days no one was of a mood to stop and talk to him as he walked over to the wine section to where Kayleigh was refilling the racks.<br/>
“Evening, Miss Kitson.”<br/>
“Hello Mr Redmond.  Haven’t seen you all day.  Been busy, then?”<br/>
“Yep,” he said while looking around, “it’s been lots of small fiddly things that all need sorting - and I’m not quite finished yet.  But while I can, I just wanted to say - I hope you have a good night.”<br/>
“Oh, thanks.  Elsie’s been fizzing all week so it should be good.  So what about you?  You’ll be having a quiet night in, I expect?”<br/>
“No.”<br/>
“Oh.  Long day here, or at Area Office?”<br/>
“No, I’m going to the blues club with Jim and the mob from the music studio.”<br/>
“You’re…  what?”<br/>
“Yeah.  It’ll be great.  The club is having a last blowout for the year.”<br/>
“Were you not going to ask me?”<br/>
“No point.  There’s no singing or dancing, remember?”<br/>
“Yeah, but…”<br/>
“Anyway,” he said, reaching for his phone that was vibrating in his pocket, “I’ll leave you to get on.  See you tomorrow.”  He sighed before bringing his phone to his ear.  “John Redmond.<br/>
Yes, Dave?”<br/>
Kayleigh could only watch as he turned and walked away.</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Five-forty pm</p>
<p>The bulk of the usual store crowd had already gathered in the far-right alcove in the Dirty Toad by the time Kayleigh arrived.  Gail waved and tapped her watch, to which Kayleigh mouthed “Shelves,” before heading to the bar.  She bought herself a small glass of wine and went over to the group where Megan was the centre of attention.<br/>
“So what will you be doing back in Glasgow, Megs?”  asked Rachel.<br/>
“I’ve got a spot booked for my ambo-training in a year’s time, so will be back living at home until then.  I’ll be working full-time in one of our stores up there and saving like mad.  It’s not far from Dad’s, actually - so no transport costs.  And cheap living.”<br/>
“Living at home, though…  could be boring-living.”<br/>
“I’ll be working full-time, plus I’ve already been given options on extended hours and some weekend work.  Home will be for sleeping.”<br/>
“Lucky that you got a job so quick.”<br/>
“Luck had nothing to do with it.  The boss organised it.”<br/>
“He did what?”<br/>
“As part of the exit-interview I said that I was leaving because I wanted to study and work for the Ambulance Service around home.  He said he knew some of the managers up there and would I like him to make a call or two, I was like, “yes, please” and he sorted it.  Only took a couple of days.”<br/>
“Interesting…”<br/>
“What is?”<br/>
“That he made the effort to help you, but didn’t bother to turn up at your presentation this afternoon.”<br/>
“No, no - he talked to me before that.  He had something to be getting on with, but he gave me a package to take up with me.  Said he owed my new boss a favour for shortening the process of taking me on.”<br/>
Diane couldn’t resist.  “Huh - you don’t owe Redmond any “favours” yourself now, do you?”<br/>
Megan looked aghast.  “No!  He’s not like that.”<br/>
“He’s not like that at all,” piped up Elsie, “and I won’t have anything like that said about him, either.”<br/>
The group went quiet.  “That’s, um, wow, Elsie.”<br/>
“Well.  He’s been properly decent to me, so I won’t have it.  All right?”</p>
<p>There was an awkward pause before Pat changed the subject.  “Guess you’ve all heard that he’s leaving next month?  Who do you suppose will get his job, then?”<br/>
“It won’t matter who gets it,” came a voice from just outside the group.  “They won’t get a chance to do shit.”<br/>
“What do you mean?”<br/>
Brian joined the main group.  “Because Thompson’s coming back.  After being away for three months looking after his missus, he’s coming back to the store that’ll have been running just fine without him.  So what’s the first thing he’s gonna do?  Throw his weight around.  Show everyone that he’s in charge and all the other “look at me” shit that managers do when they worry that they might have been forgotten.  It doesn’t matter who gets Assistant, ‘cos they won’t get the chance to do anything while Thompson focusses on making as much noise as possible so everyone will know that he’s back.”</p>
<p>Brian paused as he looked around the group, seeing a mix of blank and incredulous expressions..</p>
<p>“Don’t believe me?  Remember when he was off for three months with his heart?  He spent months getting in everyone’s face so his boss wouldn’t spend any time thinking that someone with multiple heart ops might not be up to the job…  but nothing actually got done unless it was urgent or if Thompson had thought of it himself.<br/>
I mean - it’s already started.  There’s a whole list of things we’ve suggested for the store and Thompson has basically squashed the lot.  Said he won’t look at it until probably-February, which really means that he’s hoping we’ll just forget about it.<br/>
Now.  Say what you like about Redmond being a boring bastard and the rest of it - and we’ve all said similar so don’t deny it - say what you like about him, but when it comes to work, he gets shit done when he gets the chance.  All the recent stuff - renovations, repairs, new gear, whatever - that was all him.  But Thompson’s gone and put a stop to it.<br/>
So, yeah.  I’m not surprised Redmond’s taken the chance to get out.  Finally.  But whoever replaces him is on a hiding to nothing, basically.”</p>
<p>“So you won’t be applying, then Brian?”<br/>
Brian scoffed.  “Under Thompson?  Not a chance.  I doubt anyone in the store will.  No one who actually knows what he’s like would want to take that on.  No.  It’ll be new blood, either brand-new or from another store.  Someone else looking to make their mark, most likely.  Certainly not me.  I’m hanging my hopes on the new stores that Redmond’s project is working on.”<br/>
“But that’s about creating lots of new jobs, right?”<br/>
“Not at the start, it won’t.  To show the company it’s a good idea, you fill the first couple of stores with experienced staff so everything works properly from day one.  You don’t risk bringing in new people until after that.  So yeah - getting into one of the first couple of stores - that’s the ticket.  That’s where I want to end up.”<br/>
He glanced at his watch before downing the rest of his drink.<br/>
“And on that happy thought I’ll say good night.  See you Monday.”</p>
<p>The group was noticeably quiet as Brian left.  Then Elsie spoke up.<br/>
“Jesus.  Talk about people pissing on your bonfire.  What was all that, eh?”<br/>
The collective laughter was a welcome release.<br/>
“Look, it’s Friday night and Christmas is just around the corner so I say - let’s forget about work.  Except to say that we’re all jealous that Gail and Steph have finished for the year.”<br/>
That was met with good-natured grumbling by the bulk of the group.<br/>
“And we’re gonna miss you, Megs.”<br/>
That was met with nods and genuine smiles from everyone.</p>
<p>“So we’re gonna make the most of the night,” Elsie declared, patting Megan’s shoulder.  “Someone get this woman another drink!”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Saturday 21 December, seven-forty am, Area Office</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>John ended the video link, leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief.  Brenda’s presence in the Store Manager’s office had been enough to dissuade Jeremy from venturing too far from a simple recounting of how the store had performed overnight, and Brenda had then confirmed that everything was in order for the rest of the day.  With no issues to report, and after confirmation that Brenda and her husband would join him in Area Office shortly after twelve, they’d been able to end the call in short order.</p>
<p>John sipped his tea, both annoyed that no one else in the project team was likely to turn up until after eight o’clock, but also grateful for some peace and quiet while the Nurofen began to work it’s magic.<br/>
He’d gone to bed feeling all right but woke with a sore neck that ended up as a headache.  “Bastard pillow…”</p>
<p>Still - headache or not - the first part of his work-day was already better than yesterday and the rest of his day was looking promising.  He’d be in the company of people who appreciated his efforts, the lunch-spread that was coming would be brilliant and the eatery he’d chosen for dinner was cheap and actually cheerful.<br/>
The only thing he wasn’t sure about was the Christmas movie that Kayleigh had chosen.  Still, even if it was crap it was bound to be short.</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Nine-thirty am, Bury</p>
<p>Kayleigh had been awake for about twenty minutes when there was a gentle knock at the door.  “You awake?  Is it working?”<br/>
“Yeah,” Kayleigh croaked.  “Working a treat.  Come in.”<br/>
Mandy slipped in and quickly closed the door behind her, taking a moment to get used to the dim light.  Kayleigh was right - the super-dark curtains worked really well.  “How many’d you take in the end?” she asked, glimpsing the Nurofen packet on the dresser.<br/>
“Just two,” Kayleigh replied.  “Lying quietly in the dark really helped.”<br/>
“You’re not hung over, right?  Just a headache?”<br/>
“Headache and a bit of a sore throat.  The singing is what did it, what with it being so loud in there by the end.  I mean, I had a couple of drinks but mainly pricey wines so I wouldn’t go overboard.  Needed to make sure I had cash to get home, you see.”<br/>
Mandy smiled to herself in the dim light.  For the first time in a long time Kayleigh had gone out drinking on a Friday night, and this time she hadn’t trashed herself in the process.  “I still don’t get why you weren’t at John’s last night, like you’d talked about last week.  Or at least why you didn’t just go to his afterwards.”<br/>
“After that business on Wednesday when I decided I’d rather go out with the girls…  even after we cleared that up, he still thought I should go out last night, what with it being the last working day for two of them and Megan about to head home to Scotland.”<br/>
“Why wouldn’t he have gone along as well to say his farewells?”<br/>
“He doesn’t invite himself to after-work drinks and whatever.  Says it makes it easier for everybody because no one is put in the position of having to be seen with the boss outside of work.”  Mandy thought about that as Kayleigh continued.  “But he seemed fine with it.  Besides, he was going to the blues club with his band-mate and guys from the music studio, and then he’ll have wanted a decent sleep so he could get up early.  He’ll have been at work for at least two hours already.”<br/>
“On a Saturday?”<br/>
“In the Area office with the project team.  They’re wrapping things up for the year.”<br/>
“And then they’re having the big lunch you talked about?”<br/>
“That’s it.  I’m having to kill some time in the afternoon, but then he’s taking me to dinner and then I’m taking him to that Christmas movie I want to see.”<br/>
“Is that the one where a family has some big trauma and then the spirit of Christmas saves the day?”<br/>
“That’s it.”<br/>
“Isn’t every Christmas movie like that?”<br/>
“Shut up, you…”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Twelve-fifteen pm, Area Office</p>
<p>“Yes, he’s here - just not in the room at the moment.  One of the team will come down to you.  Can you sign her in please?<br/>
Thanks, Ben.”<br/>
Mary put the phone down and turned to Warren.  “Could you bring Kayleigh up from Reception please?”</p>
<p>When Warren returned with Kayleigh she was greeted warmly by the team.  But it was a different-yet-familiar face that caught her by surprise.<br/>
“Oh.  Hi Brenda.  Um…   I didn’t expect to see you…  at all, really.  Don’t you do weekend shifts at the store?”<br/>
“I do, but Helen kindly agreed to fill in for a couple of hours so I could come here for the lunch.”<br/>
“Oh, okay.  That’s nice of her.”<br/>
“I missed the last lunch.  Been looking forward to this.  John’s off sorting out something at his desk but shouldn’t be long.”<br/>
Kayleigh looked around the room.  “Doesn’t he work in here with the team?”<br/>
“He does.  Well, he did before he went back to the store - after Alison Thompson went into hospital, if you remember - but now that he’s permanent his actual desk is in a different part of the building.  He’ll only come in here when he’s needed.”<br/>
“Oh, right.”<br/>
“Anyway.  I see you know everyone, but let me introduce you to my husband.”  She waved to the oldest man in the room.  “Bill?  Come over and meet John’s girlfriend...”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The surprise was barely gone from her face when John appeared at her shoulder.  “Hello.”<br/>
“Hiya.”<br/>
“I was sorting my desk out.”<br/>
“Yeah, Brenda told me.”<br/>
“You remember everyone, right?<br/>
“Uhuh.  Brenda just introduced me to her husband as your girlfriend.”<br/>
“Yes...?”<br/>
“What happened to not telling anyone?  To it being nobody’s business?”<br/>
“Oh.  Right.  Well, the team here knows, since you can’t invite just anyone to a partners’ lunch.  Plus Cath, and Peter, and Roisin, obviously.”<br/>
“Obviously…  wait.  Roisin knows?”<br/>
“She’s head of HR in the store.  She has to know.  But Brenda only knows because of something that happened a couple of days ago.  It wasn’t planned, and it’s only a couple of people, but...  yeah.”<br/>
“What happened?”<br/>
“It’s a bit awkward.  And now’s not the time or place.”<br/>
“All right.”  She tilted her head to the side.  “Do you think there’ll ever be a time when you can tell me things?”<br/>
John shrugged.  “Probably not until I’m out of the store.”<br/>
“Well, can you tell me why Brenda is here?  Bill’s not in the project, is he?”<br/>
“No.  Brenda’s part-time in the store during the week, in the mornings, but for the last few weeks she’s been over here in the afternoons to write up training material for managers in the new stores.  Once it’s approved it’ll be part of the standard training package for all new managers across the country.”<br/>
He smiled at Kayleigh’s expression.  “Yeah, she’s that good.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There was a brief pause during which John checked the time showing on the video screen.  “Lunch is a little way away still, but it’s good you’re here already.  You remember me telling you about new opportunities on Wednesday, I think it was?”<br/>
“If my job goes away next year, you mean?”<br/>
“Yes.  There’s an early version of the proposals being worked on that I thought you’d be interested in.”  He was waving to get the attention of the team’s documentation specialist.  “Shannon - can you bring the new-options folder over?  The one for Promotions, please.”</p>
<p>Shannon looked almost apologetic as she handed Kayleigh the folder.   “There’s not much just yet but it sets out all the main aspects of what’s planned.  Job sizing, skill sets, career options - all of it.  You’re welcome to take a look, and if you have any thoughts please jot them down.  Just don’t copy any of it, okay?”<br/>
“Okay.  Thank you…”<br/>
Kayleigh waited for Shannon to be back at her desk before turning to John.  “There’s got to be nearly a hundred pages in here,” Kayleigh whispered.  “If this is “not much”, how big is it gonna get?”<br/>
John looked thoughtful.  “Once the details get added in, plus the appendices…  it’ll be closer to twice that, I’m guessing.  Anyway.  Would you like tea or something while you’re reading?”<br/>
“It’s a hundred pages, John.  I can’t read all of it.”<br/>
“You don’t have to read it all.”  He opened the folder to the index.  “Start with the Management Summary, which is usually a handful of useful facts wrapped up in a load of hoopty,” - they shared a smile - “then flick through to each section in turn and read the summary that Shannon’s written.  That’ll give you the highest-level view.  Then go in and cherry-pick the bits that interest you.  I’d suggest, um, the summaries, skill-set analysis, industry-comparison, training options.  That should cover it.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh lowered her voice.  “John?”<br/>
“Hmm?”<br/>
She fanned the pages in the folder.  “It seems like an awful lot of work has already been done for something that “may” happen sometime late next year.”<br/>
“Yeah…  like I said to you all earlier in the week - I think it’s just a matter of time before it comes in, really.  I’ll get you that tea.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh was so engrossed in the material that she failed to realise that lunch was being set up on the tables at the back of the room.  It wasn’t until Shannon gently tapped the desk that she looked up from the folder.  “Oh!  Hi.”<br/>
“Hi.  I need to take that folder back from you while we have lunch.  Have to keep an eye on every copy, you see.  Just tuck your notes into it and I’ll bring it back when we’ve eaten.”<br/>
“Thanks for letting me see this.”<br/>
Shannon shrugged.  “It was John’s idea.  And Cath was okay with it, so - you know.”<br/>
“Can I talk to anyone else about this?”<br/>
“Not just yet.  Still an early version, you see.”<br/>
“Okay.  Um - why were the management sections missing?”<br/>
“Because you’re not management,” was the simple reply.  “Anyway,” she pointed to the tables, “if you want anything savoury best get in quick.  This lot are like locusts.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They’d been eating for a few minutes when a familiar face came through the door and took a sandwich before waving to John and leaving again.<br/>
“Why is Cath here?”  Kayleigh whispered.<br/>
“She works here.”<br/>
“But she’s not on your project.”<br/>
“Cath is acting for Peter who is part of this project.  Their group was doing the necessaries to work out staff numbers for the new stores, and they were the ones pushing to have this place start working on that material you’ve just been reading.”<br/>
“Oh, right.”<br/>
“So how did it go last night?  Did Megan get a big send-off?”<br/>
“It was okay, yeah.”<br/>
“Better than okay, from what I’m told.”<br/>
“Hmmm?”<br/>
“Shannon spotted a group of you at some winebar or whatever, singing up a storm.”<br/>
“When was that?”<br/>
“She got out of here around half-eight, so, sometime before nine?”<br/>
Kayleigh was nodding.  “Sounds right.  We were just getting into it, then lots of eighties’ hits started to come on.  You can imagine how well that went down.”<br/>
John nodded.  “I can imagine…”<br/>
“How about you?  How was it at the club?”<br/>
“Loud.  It wasn’t a full house, but plenty there.  Decent bands.  The guys weren’t playing - we just went along to listen and enjoy.  I recorded a bit on my phone, if you’d like to see.”<br/>
“Oh.  Okay…”<br/>
John was soon nodding his head along with the music coming from his phone.  He stopped the playback when he realised Kayleigh wasn’t reacting at all.<br/>
“See, told you.  Not your thing, right?  You’re bored already and that was just thirty seconds’ worth.  I was there for about four hours, all up.  You would have hated it.”<br/>
Kayleigh made a face.  “Still, it would have been nice to have been-”  At that moment Kayleigh’s expression suddenly became fixed, like she was stifling a sneeze.<br/>
“What’s…” was as much as John said before his eyes were covered by cool hands.<br/>
“Guess who?”<br/>
The perfume was unmistakeable.  “Is that you, Santa?”<br/>
Cath giggled.  “I’ll “Santa” you.”  She ruffled John’s hair with her fingertips.  “Lunch then presents, yeah?”<br/>
John patted his jacket pocket.  “Sure.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh waited until Cath was loading up her plate before speaking.  “Presents?”<br/>
“Cath’s going to London for a fortnight.  Leaves tomorrow morning, so we’ll do little-presents today and the main ones on Wednesday.”<br/>
“You’ll do what?”<br/>
“Little presents.  When we know we won’t be spending time together at Christmas, we have a pre-Christmas gift-swap.  The main presents we open on the day.”<br/>
“Oh.  Okay.”<br/>
“Do you not do that?”<br/>
“No.  Never.”<br/>
“Not even when you know your Keiron is going to be away somewhere?”<br/>
“Oh, we try to call each other when he’s away, but the presents-part has to wait until he gets back.”<br/>
“Oh, right.  That’s tough.”<br/>
“We’re used to it now.  Makes it even better when he comes home, you see.”</p>
<p>When Cath returned she slid a couple of savouries onto John’s plate, then tapped the back of his hand and whispered into his ear.  A few whispered back-and-forths later, they both nodded and John turned back to his plate.  “Work-talk,” he said, noting Kayleigh’s expression.  “But that’s it until we finish lunch.”</p>
<p>“John, have you seen the new pictures of Bubs?” asked Cath.<br/>
“Nothing since Monday.”<br/>
“Right.  Give me your phone.”<br/>
Cath put it next to hers on the table, unlocked both and began to transfer the photos to John’s phone.  “This shouldn’t take long.”<br/>
“Bubs?”  asked Kayleigh.<br/>
“Peter’s daughter.  Charlotte.  I showed you the picture of them on Monday, I think it was.”<br/>
Cath slid John’s phone back to him.  “There you go.  The only thing is that I won’t get to visit them for at least three weeks.  But you’ll be dropping in, yeah?”<br/>
“Oh sure.  Next weekend, I think.”<br/>
“Well, make sure you send me pictures.”<br/>
“I will.”</p>
<p>Mary called across.  “Excuse me - did I hear you say you’ve got photos of Peter’s wee girl?”<br/>
“We do.”<br/>
“You hold-outs!  Show us, then.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Once the group finished eating there was a concerted effort to tidy up before hot drinks were made.<br/>
Cath couldn’t wait.  “Right, you.  Present-time.  Mine first.  Come on...”</p>
<p>John chuckled before handing her a small, simply-wrapped box that she quickly opened.<br/>
When Cath lifted out the pair of earrings Kayleigh instantly recognised their pale-green colour as an exact match for the gemstone in the pendant Cath was already wearing.<br/>
The pendant John had given Cath on her birthday.<br/>
“That fucking pendant” as Kayleigh had described it to Mandy.<br/>
But she joined the rest of the room in admiring the earrings that - she had to admit - were pretty-much perfect.</p>
<p>As Cath modelled her earrings for the team, Kayleigh nudged John’s arm.  “Didn’t you say you were doing little presents today?”<br/>
“Yes.”<br/>
“How are they a “little” present?”<br/>
“Well, I’d wanted to give her all three on her birthday but there was a problem with one of the stones, so I gave her the pendant then and earrings now.  She knew.”<br/>
“Huh?”<br/>
“When I say little, I mean we basically know what we’re getting but not exactly.  So Cath knew she’d be getting her birthday-earrings but not what they’d look like.”<br/>
“Okay.  And you?”<br/>
He held up his empty wrist.  “I’m expecting to get my watch back, but I don’t know what state it’ll be in.”<br/>
Kayeigh nodded her understanding as Cath reached into her bag and handed John a similarly-sized box.  </p>
<p>When John lifted his watch out he looked at it curiously for a moment before Cath said “and the rest”, and then his eyes lit up.<br/>
“What is it, John?”<br/>
“New straps...”<br/>
His watch was now on a faded brown leather strap, with two others in faded-blue and matt-black in the box alongside the original.  He put it on his wrist then held it up to the light and squinted.  “Has it been polished as well?”<br/>
“No,” replied Cath.  “The guy suggested a light touch since it’s quite old.”<br/>
“A light touch?”<br/>
Cath shrugged.<br/>
“A light touch,” chimed in Bill, “means exactly that.  They don’t service or restore it, just give it a light surface clean.  Around the crown, between and under the lugs and any tarnish on the back - there’s no polishing.  This is what - forty years old, John?”<br/>
“Sounds about right.”<br/>
“Yeah - they won’t go full-on with a watch of that age.  Bare-minimum is best.  They’ve done a great job.”  Bill turned to Cath.  “And those straps are perfect for it.  Nice choice.”</p>
<p>As Bill moved away Cath squeezed John’s hand.  “I need to be heading off shortly.”<br/>
“Ah.  In that case…”  He handed Cath his car keys.<br/>
“Am I looking in the boot?”<br/>
“Yep.”<br/>
After Cath left the room John noticed Kayleigh was looking at him.<br/>
“Her main present is in the boot of my car,” he explained.  “We won’t see each other before she leaves tomorrow so she’s taking her present now.  And I’ll get mine while I’m at her place.”<br/>
“Hang on.  What?”<br/>
“I’m house-sitting for Cath while she’s in London.”<br/>
“Oh.  Right.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Cath was gone a few minutes, and when she came back Kayleigh was waiting in the corridor a short distance from the project room door, her arms folded.<br/>
“I don’t get you, Cath.”<br/>
“What?”<br/>
“You bought straps for his watch.  His Dad’s watch.”<br/>
“So?”<br/>
“It was because of his Dad that you two broke up, right?”<br/>
A pause.  “It was.”<br/>
“Then why?”<br/>
“Because it’s important to John.  After all the shit that happened they were able to patch things up, and that watch is now the most personal of Philip’s possessions that John has.  But the original strap was getting frail, and if the pins had broken then it could have been damaged or lost.  I found some brand-new straps that look old but won’t fall to bits.”<br/>
“But, then, doesn’t seeing John wear his Dad’s watch just make you upset?”<br/>
“Of course it does.”  Cath glanced around before continuing.  “Look.  Philip Redmond was a pig.  He showed little respect for his son, had no time and fewer good words for me, and if I’d been as ill as he was, he would not have given a shit.  So, yes - it upsets me.  And, given the chance, I would take that watch and every object his dad ever owned and throw them all in a furnace.”</p>
<p>She took a deep breath, forced a smile and went back into the project room.</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Five-twenty pm, Area Office</p>
<p>The project room had been empty when John returned with Kayleigh after collecting her from Reception.  He’d set her up with tea and a couple of magazines, said “I’ll only be ten or so minutes finishing things off” then disappeared.<br/>
The silence was starting to get uncomfortable just as John returned.  “Hey.  I’m done.  Properly, this time.  Shall we head off?”<br/>
“Well, can I see your new office before we go?”<br/>
John was hesitant.  “There’s not much to see.  It’s pretty basic.”<br/>
“I’d still like to have a look.”<br/>
“Uh, okay.  Grab your things.”</p>
<p>John led the way along the corridor away from the project room, before turning into a second, longer corridor and then into what looked like a different building altogether.<br/>
“Here we are.  This is the office of the team that’s going to create five hundred jobs over the next couple of years.”<br/>
“John, this is…”<br/>
“Rubbish.  I know.”  They were standing in the doorway of an open-plan area with no windows and seemingly cast-off furniture.  “They were so long pissing about deciding if the project would go ahead that they ran out of accommodation options for the permanent group, so all we’ve got is this until they get it together.  Whenever that will be.  And that’s where I am,” he said, pointing to the desk farthest from the door.<br/>
“Did you know you’d be working in here?”<br/>
“Yep.  They were up-front about it, and I still said Yes.  Working in this place for less money on a project that hardly anyone believed in.  And it’s still a better option for me than staying at the store.”</p>
<p>He was quiet for a moment then turned his back on the room.  “Let’s just go, eh?”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Five-forty pm, “The Happy Monkey”</p>
<p>John had brought Kayleigh to another eatery that she had never heard of, and it was as cheap and cheerful as John had described.  They’d each chosen simple light meals, having both overindulged at lunch.</p>
<p>“So where’d you go those last couple of hours?”  asked John as he stabbed a tomato on his plate.<br/>
“Just out and about.  Thanks for letting me borrow the car, and for letting me use that Visitor-spot in the store carpark.  All the customer parks were taken.  The place was packed.”<br/>
“You gave Brenda a wave on the way in and out, right?”<br/>
“I did.  She did give me a funny look, though.”<br/>
“Probably wondering how you were able to move after eating all that lunch.”<br/>
She playfully smacked his arm.  “Cheeky.  You can talk...”<br/>
John stabbed another tomato.  “What did you get from the store?”<br/>
“Just a couple of things I’d realised we’re short of at home.  Nothing chilled or frozen.  They’re all right to stay in the boot, yeah?”<br/>
John nodded.  “Ahuh.”<br/>
“So handy being able to park there, especially at this time of year.  Do you do that?”<br/>
“For when I go shopping, you mean?  No.  I only use the reserved parks when I’m in there to work. You need to let the manager or duty-manager know so you don’t get towed, and later the store manager reviews who’s been using the different parks and whether they should have done it in the first place.  And it’s just not worth the aggravation to go through that with Dave.”<br/>
“But you’ll be the one doing that for this month, right?”<br/>
“I will, and I’ll ask myself some tough questions, don’t you worry…”</p>
<p>Kayleigh was quiet for a minute.  “Can I ask you something?”<br/>
“Sure.”<br/>
“When did you arrange to house-sit for Cath?”<br/>
“About a month ago, after the request came through for her to go to Head Office and talk them through the material she’s working on for HR.”<br/>
“Were you not going to tell me?”<br/>
“Yes.  But I didn’t think it mattered.  I’m mainly doing it to look after Muffin because she doesn’t like catteries.  She tries to hide and won’t eat, but she’s too little to not be eating properly.  I’ve looked after her before, plenty of times.”<br/>
“Doesn’t that put you out, though?”<br/>
“Hardly.  Cath’s place is closer to work than mine is, it’s much closer to Paul’s, the roads aren’t quite so busy going to and from work.  It’s all good.”<br/>
“Okay, but what about when you’re at Paul’s?”<br/>
“That’ll only be a couple of nights, but I’ll be making sure Muffin has food and will keep her company on and off during the day.”<br/>
“Well, sure, but…”<br/>
“What?”<br/>
“But I won’t get to see you.”<br/>
“Why not?  Don’t you want to stay over?”<br/>
“Wait.  Really?”<br/>
“Sure.  Cath’s fine with it.”<br/>
“She is?”<br/>
“Yeah.  I asked if she minded and she didn’t.  I’ve done it before.”<br/>
“You’ve done what before?”<br/>
“Had Ben and Sophie stay with me while I was there.”<br/>
“Oh.  Um, why?”<br/>
“A couple of times I ended up taking the kids to a movie or whatever, or when Paul and Monique wanted to go out or away for a day or two.  And it’s an easy-sell for the kids, what with Cath having that huge TV.”<br/>
“Right.  Right.”<br/>
“I don’t make a habit of it,” he continued, “but yeah.  And Cath has access to the security cameras so she knows who’s in her house.  It’s not like I’d be able to sneak you in without her knowing.”<br/>
Kayleigh sat up straighter.  “Why would you have to sneak me in?”<br/>
John sighed.  “It’s just an expression.  Look.  Cath said it’s fine if you want to stay over.”  He got to his feet and started to move.  “That’s all I’m saying.”<br/>
“Where are you going?”<br/>
“Little boys' room.  Gonna take some more Nurofen.”<br/>
“You can have that here.”<br/>
He kept walking.  “…but need some fresh air as well.”</p>
<p>When John returned five minutes later he was rubbing his neck.<br/>
“Feeling better?”<br/>
“I will be once this headache fucks off,” he muttered.  “When does the film start?”<br/>
“Just over an hour.”<br/>
“Odd time to be starting...”<br/>
“I think they’re wanting to squeeze in as many sessions as they can each night.  The film’s not going to be too noisy for you, will it?”<br/>
“Let’s hope not.”  He gave his neck another rub.  “I should be fine.  Really.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Eight-fifteen pm</p>
<p>As they joined the crowd spilling out onto the street outside the cinema, Kayleigh snuck a look at John and made a face.  “Grinch.”<br/>
“I’m not the Grinch.  It wasn’t a great story, full stop.  And wrapping it up in tinsel didn’t help it, either.”<br/>
“The music was all right.”<br/>
“Well, some of the music was okay, yes.  But that many musical numbers just screams “we’ve run out of ideas!” to me.”<br/>
“Well, I thought it was good.”<br/>
“Which is more important than what I think.  But I’ll ask you this: who are you gonna recommend it to?”<br/>
“Well - Alfie and Chloe, probably.  And I think your Ben and Sophie would like it.”<br/>
John shook his head.  “Sophie might, Ben won’t - he’s too easily bored.  Anyone else?”<br/>
Kayleigh was quiet.  “I’ll have a think.  Are you sure you’re not being the Grinch because of your headache?”<br/>
“I told you - the headache’s not as bad.  My ears are ringing quite a bit, though.”<br/>
“Well, how many tablets did you take today?”<br/>
John thought for a moment.  “Six, so far.”<br/>
“Hang on - you’ve had a day’s worth in twelve hours?  John, that’s not safe.”<br/>
John shrugged.  “It’s either that or not be able to get anything done.  And like I said - it’s easing off.  A quiet night and a decent sleep will sort me out.”<br/>
Kayleigh nodded sympathetically as John rubbed his temples.<br/>
“Anyway,” he said, “we should get you home.”<br/>
“But...  why?  I thought I was staying over.”<br/>
“Well, yeah.  If you want to.”<br/>
“I do.”<br/>
“So you need to get clothes and stuff, right?”<br/>
“Done that already.  Why do you think I borrowed your car?”<br/>
“Oh.  Well, what about your shopping and whatever in the boot?”<br/>
“It’s all boxes and tins.  It should be fine in the car overnight, right?”<br/>
“It’ll be in the garage, so, yeah.  No worries.  Um, shall we go?”<br/>
“Yes.”  She cast a worried look at him.  “Would you like me to drive?”<br/>
He didn’t hesitate.  “Please.”<br/>
“And I’d like to make a small detour along the way.  I hadn’t realised how short that film was going to be, and I’d like to get some wine.  I think there’s only a small bottle left at yours after last week.”<br/>
“Not a problem for me.  You’re okay drinking by yourself, right?”<br/>
“Oh.  Are you not going to join me?  Not even a Baileys?”<br/>
“Not tonight.  Not with this,” he said, pointing at his head.<br/>
“You won’t mind?”<br/>
“Nah.  It’s fine.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Ten-thirty pm</p>
<p>Kayleigh had sent a still-suffering John off to bed at the completion of his catchup-call with the store twenty minutes earlier.  Since then she had sat quietly in the lounge, her third large glass of wine in one hand and her phone in the other.  With no new cat videos left to watch, she absent-mindedly swiped her thumb across the screen, tapping on different icons and folders as she went.<br/>
And then, in the “Not Using” folder, she saw the blue and yellow “HS” app.<br/>
Her finger hovered unsteadily over the icon.  “I wonder...”</p>
<p>Ten minutes later, a dejected Kayleigh finished brushing her teeth and got changed into the nightie she’d quietly retrieved from her bag in John’s bedroom.  After the mandatory half-dozen passes of the brush through her hair, she stepped out, looked briefly at the guest room door - “No, electric blanket’s not on” - and then went into John’s room that was barely illuminated by the bedside light.<br/>
After closing the door and killing the light she slowly got into bed, being careful not to make any noise or abrupt movements.<br/>
And then lay still, listening to John’s steady breathing while she stared into the darkness.<br/>
“Some Saturday night this turned out to be...”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Sunday 22 December</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kayleigh stirred, aware of a rumbling noise but not able to discern what it was.<br/>
She rolled onto her back and looked to her right.  No John.  “Oh.”  But there was something on his pillow.  She rolled on her right side and reached for the object, smiling tightly when she realised it was a Post-it note.  In the dim light she could just make out the words  “AT WORK”<br/>
“You’re kidding.  On a Sunday?”<br/>
Then she heard the sound of a revving lorry and the unmistakable thud of an empty wheelie bin being set down roughly on the ground.<br/>
“Oh, God,” she groaned.  “Who’s doing the bins at this time of the morning?”  Then a frown.  “Actually, what is the time?<br/>
She rolled slowly to her left and checked her phone on the bedside table.  Her eyes widened.  “Nine-twenty?!”  She lay back, smiling as she realised she’d been asleep for over ten hours.  “Damn, it’s easy to sleep in this bed.”<br/>
She single-tapped the base of the bedside lamp, turning it on at it’s lowest setting before rolling back onto her right side and propping herself up on her elbow.  A sigh.  “But it’d be nice to wake up with John here.  Even just once.”<br/>
His side of the bed had been smoothed flat and his dressing gown draped over her, she noted with a smile.  On impulse she reached between the sheets and found that his side of the bed was cold.  “Eh?”<br/>
She picked up her phone and sent a quick text - “Hiya” - expecting one of his usual brief-but-sweet responses.  What she didn’t expect was to hear a text-alert from a different part of the house.<br/>
“Hang on...”</p>
<p>Kayleigh put on the robe, went quietly down the stairs and pushed open the door to see a fully-clothed John lying asleep on the sofa.  His jacket, small bag and two phones had somehow ended up in a small pile beside his shoes on the floor in front of him.<br/>
“Oh, John...”<br/>
She gently brushed his hair with her fingertips, but when she touched his skin she realised just how cold he was.  “Shit.”  She quickly turned on the heater, went up to the guest room and brought back an armful of blankets that she started to lay across John.  At that point he stirred and began to move.<br/>
“Um, what’s going on?”<br/>
“No, no.  Don’t get up.  I’m putting blankets on you.  You’re freezing there.”<br/>
He stopped moving and lay back, blinking the sleep from his eyes.  “What time is it?”<br/>
“Not quite nine-thirty.”<br/>
“Oh.  Right.”<br/>
She placed the last blanket across him, perched on the edge of the sofa and began to rub his arm through the blankets.  “How long have you been down here?”<br/>
“Since I got back from the store, so just after seven-thirty I think.  Fairly sure.  It’s a bit of blur, now.”<br/>
“Why were you at work?”<br/>
“Got a call.”<br/>
“Oh.  I didn’t hear anything.”<br/>
He yawned.  “Lucky you.  Anyway.  I got a call saying Jeremy had been sick and wasn’t coming right.”<br/>
“Jeremy?”<br/>
“Overnight duty manager.  They were getting him a lift home so I went in to do the rest of his shift.”<br/>
“Could someone else not do it?”<br/>
“It’s the store manager’s job to take over when that kind of thing happens.  That’s just how it is.”<br/>
“Oh.  Okay.  When was this?”<br/>
“Just after two?  Yeah.  Just after two.  Did a big chunk of the overnight shift for the first time in ages.  So, I went in, then Brenda took over just after seven, same as usual, and I bought...  something...  and here I am.  Breakfast bits.  That’s what I bought.  Think I brought them inside.  Can you just check the bench for me?”<br/>
Kayleigh was back after a few moments.  “There’s bread and bits on the bench, and some more juice and milk in the fridge door.”<br/>
“Oh, good.”<br/>
“Why didn’t you come up to bed when you got in?”<br/>
“Didn’t want to wake you.  Thought I’d set up down here instead.  Although it didn’t seem quite this cold earlier on.”<br/>
“John, you got home at half-seven, which is a perfectly acceptable time to get into your own bed.  Never mind me.”<br/>
John smiled as he looked at her, then his face fell.  “Damn it.”<br/>
“What?”<br/>
“I was going to surprise you with breakfast.”<br/>
“Oh.  Are you hungry?”<br/>
“Just a little bit.  I wanted to make you breakfast to thank you for looking after me last night, with me head.  But here I am, lying here like a lump.”<br/>
“Never mind that now.  Are you warming up yet?”<br/>
“Not really.”<br/>
“Right.  Move back.”<br/>
“Do what?”<br/>
“Move back.  I’m getting in.”<br/>
She waited while John shuffled backwards, pressing himself against the back pillows.  Once he’d settled in he lifted the blankets and Kayleigh slipped underneath, taking a moment to make sure her legs were covered before lying on her side and wriggling until her back was pressed against John.  He lowered his arm, bringing the blankets close to Kayleigh’s body before loosening his grip and letting his hand rest on the seat cushion.<br/>
“Now, then,” said Kayleigh as she placed her hand on his, “is this warmer?”<br/>
“Not yet, but it is nicer.”<br/>
“This is nice, all right,” she agreed.</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Neither spoke for the next few minutes.<br/>
John had become increasingly conscious of just how close they were so started his “noisy visitor” routine, focussing on his deliberately-slow breathing in an effort to make himself relax.  A task made more difficult by the fact that Kayleigh was now holding his hand against her stomach.<br/>
Kayleigh hadn’t sensed any tension in John’s hand but did notice that the feeling of his breath in her hair had slowed and become more regular.  “Are you asleep back there?”<br/>
“No, just resting my eyes.  Are you asleep?”<br/>
She giggled.  “No.  But it is nice to just lie here in the peace and quiet.  Now, anyway.  Got woken by the bin-guys.”<br/>
“Oh, right.”<br/>
“Why were the bins being done today?  Aren’t you on Mondays?”<br/>
“They’re doing them today because they can’t tomorrow.  No idea why.  I should go bring mine in.”<br/>
“No, no - wait until after breakfast.  At least.”<br/>
“Fair enough.  So.  Bins aside, how’d you sleep, then?”<br/>
“Really well.  Ten and a bit hours, John.  Haven’t slept that long in ages.  I mean, the wine helped, obviously, but your bed is properly comfy.  Think I’ll take it with me.”<br/>
“What?”<br/>
“Of course I won’t take it.  It won’t fit in my room.”  She silently counted to five.  “Your guest bed might, though.”<br/>
“You can forget that...”<br/>
“Huh.  Actually, speaking of wine...”<br/>
“What about it?”<br/>
She patted his hand and started to move.  “It’s gone through me.  Need to pee.”<br/>
“Charming.”<br/>
“Have you got a funnel and plastic bottle I can use?”<br/>
“You what?”<br/>
She giggled.  “I’m joking, John.”<br/>
“Oh, you’re hilarious,” said John in as deadpan a voice as he could manage.</p>
<p>Kayleigh could hear John using his manager-tone as she came back down the stairs so held her finger to her lips when she walked back into the room.  John was lying flat on the sofa, his phone to his ear.<br/>
“Got it.  Let me know when you hear, please.<br/>
Thank you.<br/>
Bye.”</p>
<p>“Checking to see how Jeremy is,” he said.  “That was one of his flatmates.  Jeremy and the other flatmate are both sick.  They managed to get an appointment and will be in with the doctor shortly.”<br/>
Kayleigh gave John a gentle nudge.  “Shift back.”   John again made room as she got under the blankets.  “So what happens next?”<br/>
“Depends.  If he’s better, he’ll do his shift tonight.  If he’s not, I’ll do it.  Well, we’re one Duty Manager short anyway with James being off on doctor’s orders, and it’s a bit late now to be pissing on someone else’s plans.  So, no.  I’ll do it if I have to.  She’ll call back once they know.”</p>
<p>They weren’t kept waiting long.<br/>
First came the text-alert with a photo of the doctor’s note.<br/>
“Uh-oh.”<br/>
Then his phone rang.<br/>
“John Redmond.<br/>
Hi Sarah.<br/>
Yeah, I saw.”<br/>
He was quiet for a moment, then:<br/>
“Right...<br/>
Right.<br/>
Well, thanks for the call.  Give him my best, yeah?”</p>
<p>John ended the call.  “Well, that’s that.”<br/>
“What is?”<br/>
“Probable food poisoning.  Jeremy and the other flatmate.  He’ll not be right until late-tomorrow at the earliest so I’m it for tonight and maybe tomorrow.”  He sighed.  “I’m afraid that the rest of today is going to be very dull.  This afternoon, anyway.  I understand if you’d rather head home.”<br/>
“Why would I?”<br/>
“Because, me doing the overnight shift means I’m gonna need more sleep before I go in.  At least four hours, I’m thinking.”<br/>
Kayleigh pursed her lips.  “No.  No, it’s all right.  I won’t mind looking after you.  Well, guarding the place while you’re asleep,” Kayleigh joked.<br/>
John looked at her curiously.  “There’s no need to.”<br/>
“I don’t mind.  Really.”<br/>
“You...  was there a reason why you stayed last night?  I did say you should go and find something fun to do, not stick around with me and my useless head.”<br/>
Kayleigh didn’t respond.<br/>
John frowned.  “What’s going on?”<br/>
“When I went home yesterday to pick up my bag...”<br/>
“Yes?”<br/>
“They’d been arguing again.  Alfie was mouthing off, I mean.  Steve was trying his best to keep a lid on things but then Alfie started his “you’re not my real Dad” thing and it all went downhill.”<br/>
John’s jaw dropped.  “Wait.  He said what?”<br/>
“Yeah.  They’re not Steve’s.  Mandy had the kids while she was living with a sales rep she’d met through her work.  It seemed to be going really well for them, but then they just...”  Her voice tailed off.<br/>
“Oh.  You’d never know by looking at them.”<br/>
“No.  Anyway.  The kids were still little when Mandy met Steve.  They agreed to tell them about their real father when they were old enough to understand, but now that Alfie knows he’s started to throw it in Steve’s face whenever he acts up.  And Mandy’s not doing enough to make Alfie tone it down.  I just couldn’t bear the thought of going back there if they hadn’t sorted it out.  You don’t mind, right?”<br/>
“Why would I mind?  I’m glad you’re here.  They do know you’re here and safe, right?”<br/>
“Yeah, yeah.”  She paused.  “I am safe here, aren’t I?  Lying here with you like this?”<br/>
But John wasn’t listening, his mind racing as he digested what Kayleigh had just told him.<br/>
“John?”<br/>
He snapped back to the present.  “Um, I was distracted by your hair.  It being in my face and all.”<br/>
She giggled.<br/>
“Shall we...  let’s sort breakfast, yeah?”<br/>
Kayleigh squeezed his hand.  “Okay.”<br/>
“Actually, do you want to have a shower while I sort it?”<br/>
“No, I’ll help.  And I quite like the idea of hanging out in my robe on a Sunday.”<br/>
“My robe,” John corrected.<br/>
“It can be your robe when I’m not here.”<br/>
“Jesus.”  John kissed her cheek.  “Come on you - that breakfast won’t make itself.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>John set up two plates with “clearouts” as he’d called them, being leftovers from his recent  lunch-making efforts plus eggs and off-cuts from the different cheeses in his fridge.  They then made mash-ups of the leftovers with newly-bought ham and tomatoes, all loaded into freshly-baked buns and heated in the microwave while Kayleigh made simple plunger-coffees for them both.<br/>
John had said little while assembling their breakfasts and had gone quiet as they began to eat.<br/>
Kayleigh tapped his hand.  “You’re not saying much.”<br/>
“Thinking.”<br/>
“Yes?”<br/>
“That I’m going to do Jeremy’s shift tomorrow as well.”<br/>
“Oh.  Just like that?”<br/>
“Uhuh.”  He reached for his phone.  “I need to make some calls.  Let’s see.  Jeremy, Helen, the Simons...”<br/>
“John.”<br/>
“...Roisin, Brenda, Area-HR...”<br/>
“John?  Can this not wait until after breakfast?  Surely ten or fifteen minutes won’t make a difference.”<br/>
“Hm?  Yeah.  You’re right.”  He put the phone in the table and picked up a bun.  “Of course you’re right.”<br/>
But he stayed quiet, occasionally looking over at his phone while he ate before glancing at the wall clock and saying “No, now’s the time.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh bit her tongue, just watched and listened while John left voicemail messages and had conversations in which he set out what was going to happen in a firm, polite manner that quickly shut down any discussion of possible alternatives.</p>
<p>It wasn’t until he put his phone down with a “Done” that she spoke.  “Why, John?  Why you?  Why not let Helen or Simon do it like they just offered to?”<br/>
“Because it’s my job.”<br/>
“Is it?  Really?  To put yourself out for two days?  Two more days, actually?”  she corrected herself.<br/>
“It’s my job to make sure the store is staffed properly.  And with the doctor saying Jeremy may not be up to it until late-tomorrow, I’m thinking that he shouldn’t even try to work.  He should focus on getting well.  That’s why I’m going to take his overnight shifts.”<br/>
He finished his coffee and continued.  “Helen and the guys are more than capable of running the place during the day, plus they’ll have Brenda there in the mornings if something crops up.  And they can call me if they need to before I get in around mid-afternoon or so.  It’s the best option.”<br/>
Kayleigh didn’t look convinced.<br/>
“This is what I do, remember?  I work out the best way to get things done.  And right now, this is the best way.  And it’s only until Tuesday night.  Once we open again on Thursday we’ll have all the regulars available to do the overnights.”<br/>
Kayleigh had her arms folded.  “Except on Saturday, when you’ll be at work instead of being with me at the reception.”<br/>
“True, but I made sure I’d be at the ceremony in the afternoon.  And that’s the most important part of Donna’s day, right?”<br/>
“Yeah...  Yeah.  Of course it is.”<br/>
He held up the work phone.  “And I won’t be carrying this for much longer.  Just until Dave is back in his office on the thirteenth of January.”</p>
<p>“But that’s just it, John.  I don’t see why you’re bothering to make an effort when you’re leaving next month.  Why make a good impression now?”<br/>
“It’s not about making a good impression.  It’s about making sure I’m doing the best job I can right through to the end, so there’s no reason for me to be held back next month.  Right now that means making sure everything in the store runs as expected, and if that means that I do the next two overnight shifts, then that’s what I’ll do.  Besides, there’s no point trying to make a good impression because I’ll be forgotten once I’ve gone.”<br/>
“What do you mean?”<br/>
“I’ll be forgotten.  Well, obviously I expect Dave will take my name in vain for a while after he gets back, but it won’t be long until it’ll seem like I was never there.  I’ve seen it before.  The only people who are remembered tend to be the Store Managers and anyone who’s died.”<br/>
Kayleigh was shaking her head.  “No.  No.  I can remember plenty of people I’ve worked with in the store who’ve left.”<br/>
“That’s people you’ve worked with.  What about people you didn’t work with but you still knew?”<br/>
“Oh.  Um…”<br/>
“This year we’ve had more than fifty staff leave for various reasons.  And that doesn’t include the short-termers or temps who were only in the place a couple of months.”<br/>
“Fifty?”<br/>
“Yep.  And last year there were seventy-plus who went.  Any of their names come to mind?  I can only think of four or five, myself.  And that’s only because I’d worked with them for so long.”<br/>
“Oh…”<br/>
“Whereas, if I say Betty Griggs, Stu Hogg, Georges Moulet, John and Patty Smith, Dylan McCarty, Sarah Knowles, Keith Herlihy...”<br/>
Kayleigh nodded, adding “Andrea Norton, Delores Jordan, Old Ted, Trevor...”<br/>
“You see?  It’s in our nature to remember who has died.”<br/>
He poured the last of the coffee into Kayleigh’s mug.<br/>
“There’s a set of bound folders in HR with photos of every staff member who has died while working for the store, or soon after leaving.  The office in the warehouse has photos of two guys who died in an accident on the job back in ninety-six.  But everyone who has left for whatever-other reason is just another name on an ever-growing list.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh was quiet for a moment.  “That’s quite depressing, John.”<br/>
“Only if you let it get to you.”<br/>
“Have you let it get to you?”<br/>
“I thought about it a lot once I realised the Christmas Team opportunity was just a sham and I’d never get a promotion.  But then “Small Stores” came along where I can make a difference, and I’ve now realised that’s what I actually want.”</p>
<p>“Huh.  So.  What happens now, then?  With you going in tonight, I mean.”<br/>
“I’ll just take it quietly until about twelve or so, then go to bed and force myself to sleep.”<br/>
“Just like that?”<br/>
“I have the bedroom all dark and the bed just warm enough so I can get in and be comfy straight away.  Then slow deep breaths for five minutes or so.  Works pretty well.”<br/>
“Could you not take half a sleeping pill or something?”<br/>
“Even a half-tablet is too strong for just four hours’ sleep.  For me, anyway.  It’s too hard to wake up at the end, and it never feels like I’ve slept properly.  No - I’ll stick to the breathing exercises.  And even if I don’t sleep the whole time, I’ll be near-enough to asleep which should be good enough.”<br/>
“Oh, okay.  I’d probably just take a tablet myself.”</p>
<p>John had started to clear the table.<br/>
“Anyway.  Enough about that.”  He checked the time.  “I’ve got about an hour and a half before I need to go to bed.  Is there something you’d like to do before then?  Somewhere you’d like to go?”<br/>
“I sort-of do, but there’s not really enough time to do much, not if I’m going to have a shower first.  No, I’m happy to just park up on the sofa and watch TV with you.  I’ll wait until after you’re asleep before I go anywhere.  If I go anywhere.”<br/>
“I like the sound of that.  Well, how about you find something on TV for us to watch?  Anything you like.  I’ll load the dishwasher and bring the bin in.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When John returned he found Kayleigh sitting on the tidied sofa, remotes at the ready.  She patted the seat cushion.  “Saved you a spot.”  She selected and started an episode of the property programme, initially sitting beside John before swinging her feet up and onto the sofa, accepting his arms around her as she leaned against him.  But after just ten minutes she started to fidget.<br/>
“Changed my mind.  Let’s lie down again.”<br/>
They set themselves up under the blankets, this time with Kayleigh having shuffled down slightly so John could see over the top of her head.  “Were you uncomfortable, sitting up before?  Was the robe not warm enough?”<br/>
“No, said Kayleigh, “I prefer it when you hold me like this.”<br/>
John tilted his head forward until his nose was just touching her hair, not caring that he now couldn’t see the TV screen.  “So do I.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>They had moved through to the kitchen just before twelve after Kayleigh decided she was peckish.  She made herself a sandwich while John picked at bits of ham left over from their breakfast, explaining “anything more’ll just keep me awake, and I can’t have that today.”<br/>
“Okay, but why do you have to be up before five o’clock?  Your shift doesn’t start until seven.”<br/>
“Because I need to wake up, get up, have breakfast-”<br/>
“Breakfast?”  she interrupted.<br/>
“Well, yeah.  It’ll basically be the start of my work-day so having breakfast works best for me.  Cereal and whatever.”<br/>
“Oh.  Right.”<br/>
“So.  Up, shower, breakfast, drop you home, go and set up Muffin for the night, then into work.”<br/>
“But all that won’t take you very long.”<br/>
“True, but I need to be ready for the store-walkthough and handover which tends to start about six-thirty.”<br/>
“Right.  Got it.”<br/>
“Anyway.  Are you sure you’d rather not just head off for the afternoon?  Find something interesting to do?”<br/>
“Trying to get rid of me, then?”<br/>
“No.  It’s just that there’s no reason to you to hang around.”<br/>
“I really don’t mind, John.  Plus, I’ve got the important job of making sure you don’t sleep in, remember?”<br/>
“Still, the house- and car keys are on the bench if you want to stretch your legs while I’m asleep.”<br/>
“Do what?”<br/>
“You know what I mean.  The weather’s bound to perk up, no point being stuck inside.”<br/>
“Hey.  I’ve got Sky to keep me company.  And my phone.  I’ll be fine.  Really.”<br/>
“Well, if you’re sure...”<br/>
“I’m sure.  Now.  It’s time you were in bed.  Go on.”  She kissed his cheek.  “Hope you sleep all right.”<br/>
“Thank you.  See you in a few hours.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>The combination of the darkened room and warm bed had John feeling relaxed even before he’d started to control his breathing.  Apart from some indistinct noises from outside and the brief sound of running water, the only discernible noise was that of gentle rain on the roof.  A couple of yawns followed as his mind began to wander.<br/>
Then there was a different noise, and he could tell through his closed eyes that the room had lightened briefly before again going dark.  Then quiet footsteps.<br/>
“Are you still awake?” Kayleigh whispered.<br/>
“Hmm?”<br/>
More whispering.  “I don’t want to be by myself after all.  Is that all right?”<br/>
“No, it’s fine,” he mumbled.</p>
<p>Even with his eyes closed he could sense what Kayleigh was doing - the sound of the robe-belt being loosened and the robe being draped on the bed, the sound of the covers being moved, followed by the movement of the mattress as she got into bed and made herself comfortable.</p>
<p>Then there was more movement and the mattress began to fall away behind him - and then his shoulders tensed when he became acutely aware that Kayleigh had rolled over and was pressing against his back.<br/>
“Um...”<br/>
“It’s my turn to hold you.”  Her hand was slowly moving from his shoulder down his arm.  “Just for a minute or so.”<br/>
He failed to keep his voice steady.  “Oh.  Okay.”</p>
<p>Then John felt something rubbing against the collar of his pyjamas.  “What are you doing?”<br/>
“My nose is itchy.”<br/>
His shoulders moved as he chuckled.  “Glad I can help.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh used her own giggling as cover to take his hand and hold it against his stomach, pausing briefly before twisting slightly to press more firmly against his back, noting both his involuntary intake of breath and the way his heart began to beat even faster.<br/>
After an exaggerated sigh of contentment, she started to count silently.</p>
<p>...Sixty...<br/>
...Eighty...<br/>
...One hundred...</p>
<p>At that point she kissed the back of his neck - “Lovely” - before running her hand back up his arm to his shoulder.  “Will you be all right getting to sleep?”<br/>
“Mmm.  Sure,” he mumbled, his voice still wavering.</p>
<p>She pressed her lips against the back of his neck for a few moments before moving backwards and rolling away.</p>
<p>It took another thirty seconds before John was able to relax enough that his heart started to slow down.  He was sure he was sweating but didn’t want to move - wanted to try and regain his composure, get his mind back to where it had been before Kayleigh had unashamedly pressed her breasts into his back.<br/>
And he was thankful.  Both for the thickness of the fabric of his pyjamas, and that Kayleigh’s hand hadn’t slipped from his arm.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ten minutes later Kayleigh was lying quietly in the dim light, listening to John’s slow, regular breathing.<br/>
How’d he done that?<br/>
Who has that much self-restraint?</p>
<p>After she’d steered the conversation away from leaving the house, after they’d cuddled on the sofa for the better part of two hours, mostly comfortably-close, sometimes with her deliberately pressing back against him...  nothing.  Not even after moving his hand to her stomach to entice him to loosen the robe-belt or simply slip his hand inside the robe itself.<br/>
And, yes - he’d had very little sleep, but still...</p>
<p>Then, after following him into bed, pressing against him with just two layers of fabric between them (one layer between their legs due to the shortness of the nightie) and then using the “itchy-nose” line to hold him even tighter - still nothing.</p>
<p>Well.  Not nothing-nothing.  The way his shoulders and stomach had tensed at her touch, his ragged breathing, the racing heartbeat - he’d responded, all right.  But he’d not actually reacted, not followed when she rolled away.</p>
<p>He’d simply lain completely still.  And now was very much asleep.</p>
<p>Kayleigh slowly reached for her phone, set an alarm and settled down to wait.</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Four twenty-five pm</p>
<p>Kayleigh hadn’t planned on falling asleep but at least her phone alarm hadn’t been so loud that it had woken John as well.  She took a minute to wake herself properly and check that everything was ready, then slowly rolled towards John and kissed him on the cheek until he began to stir.<br/>
“Hmm?”<br/>
More kisses.  “Hello.  I’m your wake-up call.”<br/>
“Oh.  Hello, yourself.  Please tell me I don’t have to go to work yet.”<br/>
More kisses.  “You don’t have to go to work yet.”<br/>
John slowly turned towards her.  “Then why…?  was all he got out before Kayleigh pressed her lips to his, gently at first then more forcefully before briefly breaking the kiss with a line she’d been practicing but instantly regretted:<br/>
“But I do want you up...”</p>
<p>Neither spoke for the next few minutes.  With Kayleigh draped across him, John’s hands were free to roam, his fingers tracing a path down her spine to the back of her thighs and then returning, each time lingering a little longer on her bottom.  His playful touches became more deliberate, the touches becoming strokes, then gentle squeezes, his fingers pressing into her flesh as he tightened his hold - finally gripping hard enough to draw a gasp from Kayleigh.</p>
<p>And then he began to roll slowly to his left, lowering her to the mattress so they both had free hands.  Hands that briefly touched as they reached between each other’s legs...</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Nine-fifteen pm, Bury</p>
<p>After Kayleigh had bid the extended family a good night, she’d gone upstairs and run a bath with double the usual amount of “Bubble Magic” to get it extra foamy.<br/>
The lateness of the hour and lack of wine-based amenities around the bath hadn’t diminished the pleasure to be had from simply lying in the hot water with the certainty she wouldn’t be interrupted.<br/>
But she’d spent the last few minutes thinking about her day, her brow furrowed in concentration.</p>
<p>How’d he done that?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She’d expected him to be nervous, to have to encourage or maybe sympathise with him after years of going without, but... no.  Not at all.</p>
<p>She had cheated slightly, essentially throwing herself at John while he was still half-asleep, wanting to provoke a reaction rather than have him spend any time thinking about what was going on.<br/>
And he’d reacted, all right.  Kayleigh had soon found herself on her back, urging him on as he moved into position.  And then she hit the brakes:<br/>
“Wait, wait, wait...”<br/>
“What?”<br/>
“Not like this.  You need one on you,”  before reaching back to point at the opened pack of condoms she’d put on the bedside table before waking him up.</p>
<p>He didn’t make a face, didn’t complain.<br/>
Didn’t say “I don’t need one - trust me.”<br/>
Didn’t say “Just sort it later” and carry on regardless.<br/>
No.  He’d simply put one on, eased inside her and made love to her with a confidence and sureness of touch that she’d simply not anticipated.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When John returned from the bathroom - “don’t need to see that in the bin” - he got back into bed behind Kayleigh, nudging her onto her side and pressing himself against her back and legs, his hand slowly moving from her hip to her stomach.</p>
<p>“You don’t have to get ready yet, do you?” she murmured, taking his hand and holding it even closer.<br/>
“Not yet, no.”  He started kissing her neck while moving his hand towards her chest.<br/>
She giggled.  “What are you doing?”<br/>
“Just saying hello...”<br/>
He cupped her right breast, gently tensing and relaxing his fingers as he continued to kiss her neck, briefly trapping her nipple between his fingers before slowly running his hand across her belly and down the inside of her right thigh.<br/>
“Now what are you doing?”<br/>
“Shhh,” he whispered as he slowly spread his fingers to encourage her legs apart, “it’s your turn...”</p>
<p>Kayleigh was a willing recipient of his attention, opening her legs even wider at his request and guiding his hand to where she wanted to be touched.  But once he heard the first moan he took the lead, moving his hand slowly and deliberately towards his goal where he set to work, starting with gentle pressure and a constant rhythm but increasing both when Kayleigh again used her hand to direct his.<br/>
He didn’t slow down when she began to squirm, didn’t stop when she briefly struggled against his grip, fought every one of his instincts when she demanded that he “get inside me now” - he just kept going, forcing himself to focus on what he was doing and how she was responding, picking up the pace as her breathing became faster and noisier, not letting up for a moment even as she began to buck her hips against him - before she finally cried out with pleasure and clamped her thighs together, trapping his hand between them.</p>
<p>John shuffled backwards, making space before rolling Kayleigh onto her back even as he again coaxed her legs apart.  He was soon kneeling between her thighs and easing himself inside her, using small, gentle movements to get further in each time until they were pressed together as tightly as it was physically possible to be.  But he couldn’t hold still for long, not once their kiss grew more passionate and he could feel her starting to squirm beneath him.</p>
<p>It was Kayleigh who broke their kiss:<br/>
“More.  I want more.  Want more.  More...”</p>
<p>He did as he was bid, his movements becoming quicker, more deliberate, more forceful at her urging.  He then adjusted his position to lift some of his weight from her, at which point she began to move against him, gripping his hips to get him moving even faster.</p>
<p>He knew he couldn’t last much longer at that pace, that it was only a matter of time.  And that’s when he made a sound she’d never heard from him before.  A guttural, animal-like sound.  Their eyes met briefly, and with one deft move he hooked his arms behind her knees, lifted her legs high and wide and began to thrust into her as if his life depended on it...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ffffffuuuu...”<br/>
“Ffffffuuuu...”<br/>
“Ffffffuuuu...”<br/>
Kayleigh clenched her teeth as she relived that moment, her back arched, her hips lifted partially clear of the water to avoid any splashing as she continued to pleasure herself, feeling herself getting ever closer...</p>
<p>And then the knock on the door.  Chloe’s voice.  “Auntie Kayleigh?”</p>
<p>Shit.  Shit.  Shit!</p>
<p>“Yes, love?” she gasped, her hand still moving frantically.<br/>
“Please.  I need to go.”</p>
<p>No.  No.  No.<br/>
No...</p>
<p>The moment was gone.</p>
<p>“All right.  Can you hold on one minute while I wash off the soap?”<br/>
“I think so.  Yes.”<br/>
“Okay.”  Kayleigh was already getting up.  “I promise to be quick.”<br/>
She turned on the shower, moving out of the path of the water for a moment and pulled the washcloth from the bottom of the bath, dislodging the plug in the process.  Too late to put it back, Kayleigh moved into the now-warm flow of water and rinsed herself as best she could before getting out and pulling on a towelling robe, then quickly opened the door and stepped out as Chloe rushed in.  Kayleigh dropped a towel on the floor and stood on it, rubbing the arms of the robe to part-dry herself, screaming silently in frustration while she waited.<br/>
Less than two minutes later there was a flush then running water, before Chloe opened the door and stepped out, her face downcast.<br/>
“I’m really sorry about your bath, Auntie Kayleigh.”<br/>
“Oh, that’s all right.  Come here.”  Kayleigh gave her a hug.  “When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go, right?” she whispered.<br/>
Chloe giggled.  “You’re all wet.”</p>
<p>Oh, love - you have no idea...</p>
<p>“Goodnight, sweetheart.”</p>
<p>As Chloe went downstairs, Kayleigh looked in at the now-empty bath.  “Damn it.”  She dried herself completely before running the shower to wash away the remaining suds, then cleaned her teeth and got into bed.</p>
<p>A bed that was warm and inviting.<br/>
“Right.  What was I doing?<br/>
Oh, yes...”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Nine-forty pm</p>
<p>John smiled when he realised which of his phones was vibrating.  He held it to his ear.<br/>
“Good evening.  John Redmond.”<br/>
“Hiya.”<br/>
“Hello.  Good to hear from you again.”<br/>
Kayleigh paused.  “You’re very formal.”<br/>
“Just in Non-Foods at the moment.”<br/>
“Oh.  Are you not able to speak freely?”<br/>
“Not at all, no.”<br/>
“Pity.”<br/>
“How are things looking over your way tonight?  Plenty of customers?”<br/>
“What customers?  Oh.  Right.  Right...  Yeah, it’s good here.  Although things were a bit tense for a little while, but it’s good now.”<br/>
“Good to hear.”  The sound became muffled and Kayleigh could barely make out what was being said before it became clear again.  “Sorry pal - I’ve got to go.”  He lowered his voice.  “Hope you sleep all right.”<br/>
“And I hope your night is a quiet one.”<br/>
“Me?  Oooh - it’ll be hours of fun, here.”<br/>
“All right.  Good night, John.  I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, sometime?”<br/>
“Oh, sure.  Catch you later, mate.”  His voice dropped to a whisper.  “Good night, beautiful.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh ended the call, both pleased to hear his voice but also miffed that John was sticking to his mantra that “work is for working” and hadn’t allowed himself a personal call, not even a short one.</p>
<p>Whatever.  She cast the thought from her mind, replacing it with another:<br/>
How exactly had he done all that?</p>
<p>There was no way he’d been “in the wilderness” for three years.  Not with that much self-restraint, skill and confidence.  No way.</p>
<p>So.  How?</p>
<p>Who?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Monday 23 December, eight-thirty am</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Seniors’ chatter died as Helen led the two Simons into the small meeting room and began talking even as the door was closing behind them.  “Morning, everyone.  Thanks for being here on time - we’ll make this quick.”</p>
<p>SimonG began.<br/>
“We’ve had confirmation that the security firm will be here in the next thirty minutes or so.  There’ll be at least one uniform in plain sight right through until we close at ten o’clock tomorrow night, then for at least a few hours after we open again on Thursday morning.<br/>
For those who haven’t heard, we won’t be seeing John until late this afternoon.  He’s done the last two overnight shifts, and will be doing tonight’s as well.  It was all last-minute, and that’s unfortunate, but there it is.  He has told us that we can call him if we have to, but let’s try not to do that, yeah?  There’s plenty of people we can talk to first if needs be.  Let’s let the man sleep.”</p>
<p>Helen looked up from her notepad.<br/>
“Just confirming that “Santa Central” will be running for two hours today and tomorrow, finishing around two or so.<br/>
We’ve got every one of the daytime-temps in for the next two days, so use ‘em.  We all know just how busy it already is and how busy it’s likely to get, so, keep a close eye on your stock levels, but keep a closer eye on your teams.  Have them working in pairs as much as you can, and make sure everybody takes their breaks.  It’s going to be a long day.<br/>
And one last thing,” - she was pointing to the Simons - “at least two of us will be moving around the main floor all day.  Give us a shout if you need anything.<br/>
Does anyone have anything else?”</p>
<p>Silence.</p>
<p>“Brilliant.  Let’s go.”</p>
<p>As the seniors began to leave, Helen handed a note to the head of Butchery.  “That’s his order.  By four-thirty at the latest, please.”<br/>
Darryl scanned the note.  “No worries.  I’ll sort it myself and put it aside for him.”<br/>
“Thank you.  He’ll pay you when he gets in.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Eight forty-five am</p>
<p>Kayleigh and Janine had agreed to leave for work slightly earlier than usual in order to avoid the worst of the traffic.  Along with most of Manchester, it seemed.  But their journey hadn’t been stressful and they had arrived in plenty of time.</p>
<p>Janine carefully manoeuvred her Fiesta into her assigned space.  “Has the boss got a new car?”<br/>
“Hmm?”<br/>
“Has he ditched the Fiat?” asked Janine, indicating the red Focus.<br/>
“Ah, no.  Well, I don’t think so, anyway.  That’s Mr Barrett’s car.”<br/>
“Oh.  Okay.  Is the boss on holiday already?”<br/>
“No, he’s doing the overnight shifts.  Last night and tonight.  He texted me yesterday to let me know that he won’t be able to give me a lift home today.”<br/>
“That’s unlucky, on your last day for the year.”<br/>
“No, it’s fine.  I finished my Christmas shopping last week so I don’t have tons of bags and stuff to take home today.”<br/>
“Oh!  You’re good.  I’ve still got some to do.”<br/>
“Oh, you haven’t...”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The main floor was noticeably busy when Kayleigh emerged from the corridor at the back of the store, giving her no opportunity to do anything more than wave to Elsie before joining her colleagues from Customer Care and her Promotions team mates at the Reception desk.  They’d been there less than a minute before SimonG joined them.</p>
<p>“Good morning, ladies.  Ah, I don’t mean to be rude, but I need to be somewhere else in about a minute from now.  So.”<br/>
He checked his notepad.<br/>
“Rachel, we need you in Admin Support today and tomorrow.  There’ll be two Food Bank distributions both days, and they’ll be your main focus, followed by whatever Pat needs you to be getting on with.  Okay?<br/>
Karen, Sanjay has asked that you be in the office in the warehouse both days.  They’re expecting two lorries every hour for today and most of tomorrow, and they’re already under the gun.<br/>
Kayleigh, Penny, Suze - you’ll be working together as a mini-team all day.  Keith will rotate you through the different areas to help them check their stock levels and fill shelves and food bins as needed.  You’ll also be working the tills as the regulars take their breaks.  Can you all head over to Produce please?  Gail is expecting you.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Two-fifteen pm, Cath Hilton’s guest bedroom</p>
<p>The light in the bedroom slowly brightened as the door was pushed open.  She crept in and moved silently towards the bed where John was sleeping.  She moved deftly onto the bed, sitting still for a few moments before lying next to John, her face just inches from his.<br/>
No response.</p>
<p>She waited a moment then moved just enough to press her nose against his cheek, gently at first then more insistently until John finally stirred.<br/>
“Hmm?”<br/>
He blinked and slowly turned his head to look into the eyes of his dark-haired companion - “Hello,” - before gently stroking her cheek with his fingers.<br/>
His eyes flicked to his phone on the small table beside the bed, frowning when he noted the time.<br/>
“You’re early,” he whispered.  “I didn’t expect you back for ages yet.”<br/>
He carefully rolled to his right and began to stroke her back...  at which point Muffin sneezed, got to her feet and swept her tail past his face, shattering the mood:<br/>
“Ohh!  Honey, your bum stinks.<br/>
No - please don’t wash yourself right there.<br/>
Oh, Lord...”</p>
<p>He sat up and began to look around the room - looking anywhere other than at Muffin - until his eyes finally came to rest on his work clothes that he’d set out on the chair.<br/>
“I’m too old for this shit.  Five hours’ sleep is not enough any more.  It’s just not enough...”<br/>
But the noises Muffin was making as she aggressively washed herself dashed any thoughts he had of lying down again.</p>
<p>He sighed.  “Breakfast.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Kayleigh, Suze and Penny had been back in Produce for just a few minutes when a collective “Awwww.....” could be heard from behind them.  Their confusion cleared when they looked around and saw that Mrs Santa Claus had stepped out of “Santa Central” and was being escorted by three elves past some obviously-disappointed children.<br/>
They quietened down when one of the elves stepped forward and held up her hand.  “Hey, it’s okay,” she said.  “Santa will be here for a little while longer, but Mrs Claus has got some really important jobs to do, like making sure that the reindeer are being looked after, and making sure that all the presents are being wrapped up nicely, ready to go out to all the children tomorrow night.  Mrs Claus needs to get those jobs done so everyone can have a good Christmas, yeah?”<br/>
There was a collective nodding of young heads.<br/>
“All right.  Let’s wave goodbye to Mrs Claus, everyone.”<br/>
The children and some of the adults waved, including Kayleigh who was recording it all on her phone.  Elsie spotted Kayleigh and flashed her a huge grin before she and the elves headed towards the back of the store.</p>
<p>A young mother had been standing nearby, watching and listening as the elf had been talking.  “Huh,” she wondered aloud, “since when does Mrs Claus get credit for all her hard work?”<br/>
Suze leaned over.  “Since a woman was put in charge of our Christmas team.”<br/>
The customer didn’t reply, just nodded in approval before moving on.</p>
<p>Penny gave Kayleigh a gentle nudge.  “Do you think Elsie will ever stop smiling after all that?”<br/>
“I hope not.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Three-fifteen pm</p>
<p>Elsie’s smile was only slightly smaller when Kayleigh approached the Deli counter, coins in hand.</p>
<p>“Hi Elsie.”<br/>
“Hi kid.  We missed you at tea before.  And morning tea.  And lunch, come to think of it.”<br/>
“Yeah - me, Penny and Suze are being moved around and filling in while the regulars in the different teams have their breaks.  It’s kept us busy, and the day’s flying by, but I’m starving.”  She put the coins on the counter.  “Can I have a small pasta mix, please?  You know what I like, right?”<br/>
“I do.  Won’t be a second.”<br/>
“So how did it feel today?  Being more popular than Santa himself, I mean?”<br/>
“Oh, that was just at the end of it.  Santa’s still number one, but...  they’ve been so nice to me.  Everyone.  The Santas, the elves, the children...  most of the children, anyway.  I’ve loved it.  But it’s all over after tomorrow.  Just a couple more hours, that’s all.”  She handed the pasta container to Kayleigh.  “And I keep wanting to thank Mr Redmond but he’s never around.  Someone said he’s only working nights now.”<br/>
“Just until tomorrow.  He sent me a text on Sunday, saying the usual overnight manager is sick.”<br/>
“Really?  What time was that?”<br/>
Kayleigh pulled her phone out, swiped the face and held it up.  “Ah, around half-past five.”<br/>
Elsie made to look at the phone, hesitated then pulled back.  “Oh, right.  Well.  Best you take your break, love.”<br/>
“Thanks, Elsie.  See you later.”</p>
<p>As Kayleigh ate her pasta in the cafeteria she thought back to Sunday afternoon when she stepped out of the shower - having failed to convince John to skip work in favour of “doing more of that” - and saw his text on her phone.<br/>
“Why have you texted me about you working nights this week?”<br/>
“In case someone asks.”<br/>
“No one is going to ask, John.”<br/>
“Someone might...”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Four pm</p>
<p>John pulled up into the second Visitor park.  The smokers’ shelter was deserted, he noted with approval, and the loading-bay team was fully occupied with the lorry that had presumably just arrived.</p>
<p>He was able to make his way through the staff-only entrance and take the long way to Butchery without attracting much attention, then took a direct route up to the observation window on the first floor where he knew the non-circulating Assistant manager was likely to be.  He wasn’t wrong.</p>
<p>“Hi Simon.”<br/>
“Hi John.  Didn’t expect you to be here just yet.”<br/>
“Oh, I got woken up and couldn’t get back to sleep, for no good reason.  Not important.”<br/>
“That’s too bad.  Anyway, now you’re here I’m guessing you’ll be wanting the manager-phone?”<br/>
“No, no - it’s your store until the handover.  What do you need me to be getting on with right now?”<br/>
“Well, Craig could use an assist on the Reception desk if that’s all right.”<br/>
“Not a bother.”<br/>
“And we’ll come get you in half an hour.”<br/>
“Very good.”</p>
<p>John took a direct route across the main floor to the Reception desk, not stopping to chat on the way, although he did smile and acknowledge various members of the staff as he went.<br/>
Once at Reception he double-tapped the desk to get Craig’s attention.  “Hi Craig.”<br/>
“Hi John.  Um, can I help you with anything?”<br/>
“Actually, I’m here to help you.  Simon says you could use an assist.”<br/>
“Oh.  That would be great.”<br/>
“What have we got on our plate?”<br/>
Craig quickly took him through the visitors’ register and the list of known visitors yet to arrive, then gave him an overview of the kinds of issues he’d been dealing with most of the day.<br/>
John nodded throughout.  “Okay.”  He quickly looked around.  “When did you last get away from here?”<br/>
“I had a breather at about two o’clock or so.”<br/>
John had spotted a possibly-grumpy customer approaching the desk.<br/>
“Take a break now,” he muttered.  “See you back here in fifteen.  Go.  Go.”<br/>
Craig didn’t hesitate, turning on his heel and leaving while the customer was still several paces away.<br/>
John took Craig’s position and looked the customer in the eye.  “Hello sir.  What can I do for you?”<br/>
“Hello.  Yes.  There’s been a mix-up with what I ordered over the phone this morning.  There’s a not-unreasonable amount of money involved, and so I would like to speak to one of the senior managers to have it resolved.”<br/>
“Well, sir, you’re in luck...”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The Promotions team were on their second stint in Non-Foods.  Kayleigh had taken on the task of sorting kettles by price and colour - a task that gave her a depressing insight into the mindset of some people:<br/>
“Who buys a cheap store-branded kettle or iron as a Christmas present?  Who does that?”</p>
<p>Her focus on that task meant she’d not seen John enter the store or visit Butchery, but she did catch a glimpse of him walking past the end of the aisle where she was working - too late to give him a wave or smile, never mind saying Hello.<br/>
And since “Big” Diane was on her best behaviour following the successful complaint made against her two weeks earlier, there was no chance that she would give Kayleigh any leeway to wander off and visit John at the Reception desk.<br/>
On any other day it would bother her.<br/>
But today was her last day at work for the year.  And after spending some time that morning reliving her Sunday afternoon with John she’d made a decision.</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Four-thirty pm</p>
<p>The Promotions team had been moved to the Dairy aisle for the remainder of their day.  None of them reacted when two of the Assistant managers walked past them, but Kayleigh did look up at the sound of John quietly clearing his throat beside her.  He flashed her a smile, made a discrete hand gesture - “watch them” - then pretended to take an interest in the yogurt selection while keeping an eye on proceedings at the Deli counter.</p>
<p>Helen and SimonG had both stopped short when they saw that Elsie was busy with a customer.  Helen shared a brief nod with the supervisor as they waited.<br/>
After Elsie sent the customer on their way, the supervisor had a quiet word in her ear and directed Elsie over to where Helen and Simon were waiting.<br/>
“Good afternoon Elsie.”<br/>
“Good afternoon Miss Mitchell, Mr Gardner.”<br/>
Helen took the lead.  “Elsie, as joint-leads of the Christmas team, we’re required to give you feedback on how you’ve performed as Mrs Santa Claus.  And, well, there’s no other way to say this...  you have been brilliant.  We’ve heard nothing but good things from everyone, especially how you’ve been with the really young ones, and we wanted to give you a little something.”<br/>
“Really?”<br/>
“Really.  You’ll have seen the special Christmas dinner packs that the Butchery team have been preparing, right?  Well, we think that Mrs Santa Claus deserves to have a special Christmas dinner as well, so...”<br/>
She raised her hand.  Mark saw his cue to come over, pushing a hand-trolley with two insulated containers.<br/>
“It’s a two-place Christmas dinner-pack,” Helen continued.  “Two different meats, vegetables, sauces, herbs...  and puddings.  All the trimmings, this one.”<br/>
“Oh!  That’s wonderful.”  Elsie hesitated.  “And thank you, but it’s just, well, it’s a bit awkward for me to carry, what with my cane and all.”<br/>
Simon spoke up.  “We’ve also arranged a lift home for you tonight.  Now, in fact.  We’ve already cleared it with your super.  Get your things.”<br/>
“You’ve...  really?”<br/>
“Really,” said John as he finally joined the group.  “Mark, if you would?  Bring the car around to the front, please.<br/>
Go get your things, Elsie.  I’ll walk you out.”</p>
<p>Elsie soon returned with her jacket and bag.<br/>
“It feels a bit strange, this,” she said as they walked through the store, “like I’m being seen off the premises, as they say.”<br/>
“Not at all,” replied John.  “I’m doing this so that when the footage from the security cameras is reviewed later, they’ll see that you’re leaving with my full knowledge and not just bunking off work early.”</p>
<p>They were soon outside the main doors, but had to move several paces to their left to avoid the continual flow of customers.  Elsie was quiet for a minute.<br/>
“Mr Redmond?”<br/>
“Yes, Elsie?”<br/>
“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, because it’s wonderful what they got for me, but, there’s too much in that.  I’ll never eat it all.”<br/>
“Hmm.  Well, didn’t you tell me once that there’s an older lady in your block of flats who’s on her own now?”<br/>
“Oh, yes.  Delia.  Poor thing - her husband’s died three years back and this year her daughter isn’t able to pick her up until Boxing Day-afternoon, which is a shame because Delia’s lovely.  She shouldn’t be by herself.  Not on Christmas Day.”<br/>
John waited patiently, watching Elsie’s expression change as she came to a decision.<br/>
“I’m going to invite Delia over for Christmas dinner.  That’s what I’m going to do.”<br/>
“That’s a lovely idea, Elsie.  Good for you.”  His eyes flicked up.  “Here’s young Mark.”</p>
<p>The work-Polo had come to a stop in front of them.  Mark held the passenger-side door open while John helped Elsie get in.<br/>
“Mark, Elsie will need a little help getting out of the car, and can you walk her to her door, please?  Plus take the containers in, obviously.”<br/>
“Yes, Mr Redmond.”<br/>
“But don’t let her run you a bath, whatever you do.”<br/>
Mark’s puzzled “Huh?” was easily drowned out by Elsie’s laughter.<br/>
“Thank you, Mark.  See you tomorrow, Elsie.”</p>
<p>He watched the Polo drive away, then went back inside and took his place alongside Craig at the Reception desk.</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Five-ten pm</p>
<p>John had finished his stint on Reception and was standing outside the staff entrance with a mug of tea, exchanging nods and pleasantries with arriving and departing staff.<br/>
Kayleigh had done little more than check stock levels all day so had no intention of spending another thirty minutes restocking shelves on her last day at work for the year.  She’d seen John head towards the staff entrance and followed soon afterwards, hoping to spend at least a couple of minutes talking to him before she went home but decided to wait, standing to one side of the outer door until he’d finished chatting to the other staff.<br/>
But there was something about the way Roisin was walking towards John that made Kayleigh stay where she was.</p>
<p>Roisin was within two feet of John when she nodded to her right, and they both took a few steps away from the constant stream of staff.<br/>
“John, Cath took me aside for a word on Friday night.”<br/>
“I know.”<br/>
Her eyes narrowed.  “She told me you suggested it.”<br/>
“I did.”<br/>
“I thought our chat last week was supposed to be the end of it.”<br/>
They stood quietly for a moment before John held up his mug.  “Here...”</p>
<p>Kayleigh watched John and Roisin from her spot by the door, noting how their body language instantly changed once Roisin took the mug from him and began to sip from it, clearly giving him her full attention.  John was now within a foot of Roisin, his hands in his pockets, his lips moving almost constantly as he spoke directly into her ear, only seeming to pause when anyone else came anywhere near them.<br/>
After what seemed like five minutes their conversation became two-way, both becoming more expressive, becoming animated but not agitated.  And whatever tension there may have been at the start was long-gone, their smiles broad and genuine even after John mock-frowned as he turned the mug over to show it was now empty.  They’d then exchanged a few words and nodded before Roisin headed towards the main entrance of the store carpark.</p>
<p>For some reason the sight of John and Roisin in each others’ “personal space” hadn’t registered with Kayleigh as anything other than two work colleagues making the most of the situation they were in to have a conversation.  Although the business with the mug had made no sense.<br/>
But it was John’s next interaction that got her riled up.<br/>
She waited for the last of the staff to move away before walking over to him.</p>
<p>“Hi, Kayleigh.  You’re off, then?”<br/>
“Ahuh.  I see you were just chatting to your friend Rachel.”<br/>
“Yep.”<br/>
“What’d she want?”<br/>
“Just saying Merry Christmas.”<br/>
“By touching your arm?”<br/>
“And saying Thanks for the music I wrote.”<br/>
“You wrote her a song?”<br/>
“No, I wrote some music.  For her dance group.  It’s not the same thing.”<br/>
“How did you know she’s a dancer?”<br/>
“And a yoga teacher.”<br/>
“John, how do you know she’s a dancer?”<br/>
“Because I’ve seen her dance.”<br/>
“Where?  When?”<br/>
“Well, where do you suppose she’s danced before?”<br/>
“I don’t know - strip clubs?”<br/>
John fought to keep a straight face as a very specific image popped into his mind.<br/>
“You can’t help yourself, can you?  You tell me to be nice, but...<br/>
Look.  Her group dances at all sorts of things, including shows and fairs and whatever, right?  The same places Jim and I have played at.  That’s how I know.”<br/>
“Oh.  Oh.  Okay, then.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh shifted awkwardly.  “Well, what was that business with Roisin just before?”<br/>
“Work-talk.”<br/>
“That’s it?  That’s all you’re going to say?”<br/>
John waited until some customers had moved past.  “Short version?  Now she’s head of HR, there’s some things that she’ll have to deal with that she wasn’t expecting.  Or maybe was hoping wouldn’t come up.”<br/>
“Okay...  but why did you give her your mug?”<br/>
“Because there was a long version that she needed to hear.  And by giving her my tea, she knows that I’m expecting her to drink it while she listens, and not interrupt or ask questions until after I've finished talking.  We’ve done that for ages.  It’s our way of saying “just shut up and listen” when we’re not somewhere private.”<br/>
“Huh.  When you say “our way”, does that mean there have been times when she’s been the one giving you the tea?”<br/>
“Yep.”</p>
<p>They could both hear John’s phone vibrating in his pocket.  John glanced briefly at his phone before putting it back in his jacket.<br/>
“A reminder that I’ve got a video-call in about five minutes,” he said in response to her quizzical look.  “But while I remember, I’ve still got your bag of presents at home.  I’ll drop them around to you tomorrow on my way to work.  Say, three o’clock?”<br/>
“Oh, thanks.  But wouldn’t it be easier if I just go round to yours tonight to pick them up?”<br/>
“No.  I left my house keys at home.  At Cath’s, I mean.  Easier if I do it tomorrow on my way in.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh waited until the entire night-shift for Non-Foods walked past them.  “So, what was that business with Elsie earlier?  What exactly did you have me watch?”<br/>
“Now’s not the time.  I’ll tell you later.”<br/>
“But you’ll be working all night.”<br/>
“I’ll make time to call you.  Sometime between...  just after nine-thirty.  Okay?”<br/>
“Okay.  Great.”<br/>
“Okay.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh noticed his eyes flick away briefly, then his manner changed as the sound of footsteps grew louder.<br/>
“Well, then.  Good night, Kayleigh.  And Merry Christmas.”<br/>
“Thank you, Mr Redmond.  You too.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Nine-forty pm, Bury</p>
<p>“Hiya.”<br/>
“Hi John.  Let me just go into the other room...”</p>
<p>The sound was muffled for a few moments, then he heard the clear sound of a door closing.  “TV is a touch loud.  This is better.”<br/>
“It is,” he agreed.  “So how are you?”<br/>
“I’m good.  It’s good here.  Everyone’s finished work - well, except Steve is on call through the break but thinks he might only be called in once or twice.  So, yeah.  It’s good.  How is it over there?  Busy?”<br/>
“Too busy.  People shouldn’t be leaving their Christmas shopping until the night of the twenty-third of December.”<br/>
“Oh.  Am I taking up too much of your time?”<br/>
“No, it’s okay for now.  I’m in a spot where I can see what’s going on, and everyone’s doing great.  Should be okay for a few minutes at least.”<br/>
“That’s good.  So.  I’m dying to know.  What was all that with Elsie today?”<br/>
“Right.  Well - she’s done herself proud as Mrs Santa Claus, and I felt she should be recognised in some way.  Now, the store can’t buy booze for the staff - and it’s a bit lazy, frankly - so I thought that she might appreciate something a bit more substantial.  Seasonal.”<br/>
“Oh yes?”<br/>
“You’ve seen the Christmas dinner meal packs that Butchery have been putting together, right?”<br/>
“Yeah.  They look great.”<br/>
“I bought one for Elsie.”<br/>
“You bought one?”<br/>
“The Christmas Team came in under budget but the surplus had already been returned to the main pool, so I bought one.  A two-person pack.”<br/>
“Hang on.  Helen and Simon presented it to her, right?  On behalf of the Christmas Team?”<br/>
“They did.”<br/>
“But you paid for it.  Why didn’t you present it?  I don’t understand why you don’t take the credit for things you’ve done, is what I’m saying.”<br/>
“In this case it doesn’t matter.  As far as Elsie knows, she’s been given a little Christmas present by the store in recognition of her good work for the Christmas Team.  She doesn’t need to know the rest, so please don’t tell her.”<br/>
“Yeah, sure.  And it is a lovely idea, John.  Although...  I mean...  isn’t a two-person pack a bit...  well, you know, what with her Eddie having left her this year?”<br/>
“I did think about that.  But buying a one-person pack seemed cheap and a bit on the nose as well, and I figured a two-up would give her the option of having plenty of leftovers.  But she’s gone one better, actually.”<br/>
“How?”<br/>
“She’s inviting one of the older ladies in her block of flats over.  So they’ll both have company and a nice dinner on Christmas Day.”<br/>
Kayleigh was smiling.  “I told you she’s got a good heart.”<br/>
“You did.  Pity it’s in such a noisy container, though.”<br/>
“John!”  But she giggled all the same.</p>
<p>Her laughter was cut short when she heard the store’s tannoy clearly through the phone:<br/>
“Mr Redmond to Reception, please.  Mr Redmond to Reception, please.”</p>
<p>“Duty calls,” he muttered.<br/>
“Pity.  John?”<br/>
“Yes?”<br/>
“I’ve changed my mind.”<br/>
“About what?”<br/>
“I do want to stay over tomorrow night.”<br/>
“Really?”<br/>
“Really.”<br/>
“Even though I won’t be finished at the store until at least half-ten while we lock up?”<br/>
“Yes.”<br/>
“It does mean we’ll have to be on the road before six o’clock on Wednesday to get you to Bury and me to Paul’s before all the kids wake up.  That’s six o’clock in the morning, sleepyhead.”<br/>
“I know.”<br/>
“Well, great.  So what made you change your mind?”<br/>
“I was thinking that if we can’t be together all Christmas Day then me staying over late on Christmas Eve through into Christmas morning will just have to do.  Simple as that.  But - that’s for tomorrow.  Right now I’d best let you go.  Good night, handsome.”<br/>
“Good night, beautiful.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Tuesday 24 December, eight-thirty am</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Seniors’ chatter died as Helen led the two Simons into the small meeting room and began talking even as the door was closing behind them.  “Morning, everyone.  Thanks for being here on time.  I know you’re all busy so we’ll make this extra quick.”</p>
<p>She took a deep breath.  “In case you haven’t noticed, it’s Christmas Eve.  And there are shedloads of people who have left it until today to get their shopping done.  John told us the customer numbers started to pick up at half-five this morning.  He also said that they caught a shoplifter just before seven this morning, which is why there’s an extra security guard near the main doors.  An extra two are due to be here in about half an hour.<br/>
Obviously, with so many customers expected today the carpark is going to be busy.  And, well, dangerous, frankly.  So.  Everyone working outside must have their hi-viz gear on.”  She counted on her fingers.  “Loaders, trolley-teams, Facilities...  everyone.  No exceptions.  No excuses.”<br/>
Her phone rang.  She glanced at it - “uh oh,” - then stood and tapped SimonG on the shoulder.  “I need to take this,” then headed for the door.<br/>
Simon didn’t miss a beat.  “First-aiders,” he said.  “Now that Megan has gone we only have three available to us until one o’clock when Joanne gets in.  We want to have two of them on the floor at all times, and we’re leaving it to you,” - he was pointing to the Heads of Produce and Butchery - “to organise their breaks to make that happen.<br/>
But the main message is the same as yesterday - keep an eye on your stock levels but a closer eye on your teams.  Especially on the tills.  The extra security guards will be in plain sight of everyone queued up at the checkouts so nobody gets any ideas.<br/>
Lastly, all three of us,” - he was pointing at SimonB - “will be moving around the main floor all day.  Don’t hesitate to ask for anything.  John will be here sometime after three o’clock, and will take us through to Closing at ten.<br/>
Does anyone have anything else?”</p>
<p>Silence.</p>
<p>“All right then.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Eight fifty-five am</p>
<p>The Customer Care and Promotions teams were waiting at the Reception desk.  Karen’s obviously non-work conversation with Craig was cut short when Craig spotted Simon approaching and turned back to his duties.<br/>
Simon flashed a smile.  “Good morning, ladies.  Sorry to keep you waiting.”<br/>
He checked his notepad.<br/>
“Rachel, we need you in Admin Support all day.  Your priority will be the two Food Bank distributions, both of which will be big today.  And the second needs to be ready by three, rather than four o’clock like yesterday.<br/>
Karen, you’ll be back in the Warehouse office again.<br/>
Penny, Suze - you’ll each be leading a mini-team of temps, moving through the different Sections to keep on top of stock levels.  Keith will take on your temps when we need you on the tills, and you’ll take the same breaks as yesterday.  You’ll start in Non-Foods, then will split off from there.”</p>
<p>He closed his notepad.<br/>
“Have a good day.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Nine-ten am, Bury</p>
<p>Steve looked up at the sound of the kitchen door opening.  “Morning, love.”<br/>
“Morning, Steve.  Hello, gorgeous,” said Kayleigh as she kneeled to pat Misty who was lying at Steve’s feet.  “Has she been asleep all night?”<br/>
“No, no.  We had breakfast about two hours ago, then went out for a walk for about half an hour - with a short stop along the way to give her a drink and a rest.”<br/>
“To give her a rest?  Not you?”<br/>
Steve grinned.  “You remember what the vet said - short bursts at first to help her shift a bit of weight.  She seemed happy enough.  We’ve been having a chat while waiting for the rest of you to get up.”<br/>
“A chat about what?”<br/>
“Oh, you know - engine-start procedures in cold weather, mainly.”<br/>
Kayleigh grinned.  “Really?”<br/>
“Oh yeah.  And she’s looking at me like, “Yeah, whatever, mate - but scratch my ears if you’re not going to give me any biscuits.”  At least she’s consistent.”<br/>
Kayleigh laughed.  “Thanks for keeping her company, Steve.”<br/>
“It’s okay.  Our chats are a little one-sided, but she’s a good listener.  She’s always happy to listen...”</p>
<p>Kayleigh’s expression didn’t change but she felt a twinge of sympathy.  There’d been more tension in the house over the previous two days as Alfie had continued to push his luck, and with Mandy seemingly oblivious to any wrong-doing by her “special little man” Steve had started taking himself out to the shed to avoid confrontation.<br/>
Which had made Kayleigh’s decision to stay over with John an easy one.</p>
<p>A clamour of voices got Kayleigh’s attention.  “Sounds like everyone’s up.”  She turned to see Steve getting to his feet.<br/>
“Do you not want another tea?”  she asked.<br/>
“No, it’s all right.”  He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.  “I’m just gonna go outside and, um...”</p>
<p>She watched his shoulders slump as the door closed behind him.</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Nine-ten am, Cath Hilton’s guest bedroom</p>
<p>The light in the bedroom slowly brightened as the door was pushed open.  She crept in and moved silently towards the bed where John was sleeping.  She moved deftly onto the bed, sitting still for a few moments before lying next to John, her face just inches from his.<br/>
No response.</p>
<p>Muffin waited a moment, then snorted and began to press her head against his cheek, twisting her head as she did so, using more and more force until John woke with a start.<br/>
“What the hell?”<br/>
He blinked and slowly turned his head.  “Oh, God.  What do you want?”<br/>
His eyes flicked to his phone on the small table beside the bed, groaning when he noted the time.<br/>
“Fucks’ sake, woman.  What are you-”<br/>
But Muffin was already moving, trying to burrow under the duvet.<br/>
John sighed.  “All right, all right.  Hang on.”  He lifted the duvet.  “In you come, then.”<br/>
Muffin wasted no in time in crawling under the cover, quickly circling to flatten the blanket then settled down beside him.<br/>
John looked down at his companion, smiling when he heard the first faint whistle as Muffin started to breathe through her nose.<br/>
“At least you don’t take up much space...”</p>
<p>He slowly let his head sink back into the pillow.</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Three pm, Bury</p>
<p>John had stopped “Little Blue” up the road from the small Bury house to read the text from Kayleigh:<br/>
“Mandy is in a mood dunno why xx”</p>
<p>“Interesting...”</p>
<p>Two minutes later the sound of a car door closing got Chloe’s attention.  She looked out the front window.<br/>
“Auntie Kayleigh, that blue car is here.”</p>
<p>When Kayleigh joined Chloe at the window her face lit up.  “He’s here!  Steve, come with me, please.”<br/>
She opened the front door and practically skipped the few paces towards John who was carrying the bag of Christmas presents.<br/>
“Hiya,” said John.  “Where do you want these?”<br/>
“Just give them to me.”<br/>
She took the bag, immediately passed it to Steve - “under the tree, please” - then turned back to John and threw her arms around his neck.  “I’ve missed you...”</p>
<p>Behind Kayleigh came Alfie’s sing-song voice:<br/>
“You’re in trouble, you’re in trouble...”</p>
<p>Kayleigh broke the kiss just long enough to mutter “Ignore him” before leaning in again, while John linked his fingers behind Kayleigh’s back so he wouldn’t be tempted to push Alfie into the garden.</p>
<p>Behind them, Mandy had also emerged from the front door.  “Alfie.  Shush.”<br/>
She then cleared her throat.  “Kayleigh - is there any chance you could let John come up for air?  I’d like a quick word with him.”<br/>
Kayleigh reluctantly drew her face back then took a half-step to her left, moving her arms down around his waist.<br/>
John turned his attention to Mandy.  “What’s up?”</p>
<p>She folded her arms.  “I’ve actually got a bone to pick with you.”<br/>
John looked at Kayleigh, then back at Mandy.  “How so?”<br/>
“Alfie has picked up on some bad language he heard you use.  Then he used it when we were out shopping earlier.  I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t speak like that around my children.  Although, Steve assures me that’s something you would never have done in the first place.”<br/>
“What bad language?  When?”<br/>
“It was on Sunday when you dropped Kayleigh here.”<br/>
“So what was it?”<br/>
Mandy nodded back at Alfie.  “I’m not going to repeat it.”<br/>
John shrugged.  “Well, there’s nothing I can do about it then.”<br/>
Mandy’s mouth opened in surprise but nothing came out.<br/>
“No, come on.  If you’re going to accuse me of something, you can at least tell me what it was.”<br/>
Still nothing.<br/>
John changed to his manager-tone.  “Look - I need to be getting to the store.  Either tell me now or we’re done here.”<br/>
Mandy hesitated, then sighed, leaned forward and whispered “Fucking arse licker” just loudly enough for John and Kayleigh to hear.<br/>
John’s neutral expression soon changed to realisation.  “Oh.  Yeah.  I did say that.  Sorry.”<br/>
Kayleigh rolled her eyes.  “John!”<br/>
“What?  I was chatting to Paul after you went inside.”  He turned to Mandy.  “My brother.  That’s how we describe his old boss, you see.”<br/>
Mandy looked in triumph at Steve, who had just come back outside.  “See, Steve?”<br/>
“But,” John continued, jabbing his thumb at the Fiat - “I was over by the car when I was talking to Paul, and you’d all gone in by then, so...  hmm.”  He shrugged.</p>
<p>Mandy took a moment.  “So maybe you were talking really loudly or something.  Kayleigh’s said you and your brother have tended to argue.”<br/>
“We had been up until a couple of weeks ago,” John admitted, “but since Kayleigh’s not coming to our family Christmas lunch that argument’s died a death.  On Sunday I was talking about as loudly as I’m talking to you now.  And I had the phone to my ear,” - he mimicked the action - “and we weren’t arguing, so why would I be shouting?”<br/>
“I’m not saying you were shouting.”<br/>
“Did you hear me?”<br/>
“No.”<br/>
“Then what are you saying?”<br/>
“Alfie said that that he heard you using that expression.”<br/>
“How, if I was over there?”  John pointed to the car, then to the front door, then back at the car to emphasise the distance between them, all while looking directly at Mandy.<br/>
“Well...”<br/>
“Okay.”  John pointed at Alfie.  “What...  EXACTLY...  did he tell you?”<br/>
“Alfie said he heard you use that expression while he was...  while he was washing his hands.”  Doubt had started to creep into her voice.<br/>
“Where?  At the outside tap?”<br/>
“No, in the bathroom.”<br/>
“Okay...  so where’s that?”<br/>
“Upstairs,” said Kayleigh.<br/>
John did a double-take.  “Wait.  So, you didn’t hear me, but he did in the bathroom upstairs, over the sound of running water, with the front door closed?  Seriously?”</p>
<p>Mandy’s gaze had shifted to Alfie, who was now looking at his feet.</p>
<p>John continued.  “I don’t see how he could have heard me like he said.”  He made an exaggerated sweep of his head, looking from his car towards the front of the house.  “Not if he actually was washing his hands all the way upstairs like he told you he was.  Not from all the way up there.  Just...  no.  No way.”<br/>
His eyes settled back on Mandy.  He kept his face steady, resisted the urge to speak.  Waited.<br/>
Then Mandy’s expression changed.  “Alfie.  Get inside.”<br/>
“Why?”<br/>
“Just get inside now,” she snapped.  “I won’t have you lying to me.”<br/>
“But he said it...”<br/>
Alfie’s protests were cut short by the door closing behind the pair of them.</p>
<p>John shared a look with Kayleigh before he turned to Steve.  “Hope I haven’t made things too awkward, there.  I will watch my language from now on, though.”<br/>
“I’d appreciate that, John.”<br/>
John held out his hand.  “Merry Christmas, Steve.  Since I probably won’t see you tomorrow.”<br/>
“And you.  Thanks, mate.”</p>
<p>They shared a nod, then John turned to Kayleigh.  “I do need to get going.”</p>
<p>They held hands as she walked with him to the car.  At the door he turned and slipped his hands around her waist.  “Still want to stay over tonight?”<br/>
“After what just happened?  God, yes.”<br/>
“All right.  Like I said, when you get to the store tonight go to Reception and have them call me.  You won’t be working so can’t stay on the main floor, so we’ll get you set up in the cafeteria until we close.  You might want to bring a book.  Also, you won’t be able to stay inside for the twenty-odd minutes while we do the final checks and lock the place down.  But if you move the car around by the main windows, you’ll be in plain view of the security guys until I’m done.  Cool?”<br/>
“Cool.”<br/>
“Right, then.  I’ll see you later.”<br/>
“You will.”</p>
<p>John waited until he got the Fiat moving before allowing himself a little smile as he recalled the events of Sunday.  He’d spotted Alfie behind the blinds in the front room as he was leaving, and on impulse had grabbed his phone and pretended to have a conversation in which he used a selection of choice words.<br/>
Some very choice words, knowing full-well that Alfie was likely to pick up on them, and would almost certainly start to use them.</p>
<p>Baited the trap.</p>
<p>John’s smile became a grimace.  “Little shit.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Five pm</p>
<p>From the moment John walked into the store at three-twenty, he’d made a point of saying “Hello” to each of the staff he encountered.  He’d decided not to stand on formalities and simply made himself available for anything and everything for the first hour, offering both encouragement and help where it was needed.<br/>
The only time he’d played the “store-manager” card was when he briefly gate-crashed the wrap-up for “Santa Central” so he could offer his personal thanks to the Promotions company for their efforts, particularly for the way they’d accommodated the request to include Elsie as Mrs Santa Claus.<br/>
Although, in the spirit of the occasion, neither party mentioned the extra fee the company had charged to make that happen.</p>
<p>On a whim he then stopped off at Dave’s office to hang up his suit jacket before heading back to the main floor, making himself look like just another member of staff.  There was something to be said for blending in - something he’d not managed to do for years - and quietly getting on with the job.  So for thirty minutes he relived his “mis-spent” youth by pricing and stacking cheap store-branded electrical items.<br/>
His time there also reminded him of a mistake he’d made several years earlier, when he’d suggested that the store try selling some mid-priced coffee grinders instead of “cheap tat that will break as soon as you look at it” - his thinking being that the customers would appreciate the quality.<br/>
They hadn’t.  The small number Dave Thompson reluctantly agreed to stock sat unwanted for months.<br/>
John ended up discreetly buying the last three units himself, simply to get them out of the store.  He’d previously heard from Litchy that Dave had become openly derisive about John with other managers in the Area, so John figured that spending a few of his pounds would be worthwhile if it meant that Dave would have one less excuse to make fun of him.<br/>
It hadn’t worked.</p>
<p>“Excuse me.  Mr Redmond?”<br/>
John snapped back to the present.  “Yes?”<br/>
One of the temps was pointing.  “I think Miss Mitchell wants a word.”<br/>
“Oh, right.  Thank you.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Nine forty-five pm</p>
<p>His three Assistant managers had stuck around to help see off the expected five-thirty surge as other businesses closed for the evening, but John had sent them home early when it became obvious it wasn’t going to happen.  It wasn’t until they’d checked the forecast that they realised the bad weather approaching from the north-west was the reason why people simply weren’t staying in town, so he asked the Section Heads to work out which staff lived to the North and West and had them leave slightly earlier so they were less likely to be caught up in the weather.</p>
<p>With customer numbers consistently in the low teens, John had closed all but two of the tills, progressively sent more staff home and had the remainder focus on shutdown tasks, keeping minimal stocks of fresh and perishable items on display while moving the remainder out to storage.  He then set himself up in Reception, both to free up Judy to help clear out the food bins in Produce and also to give himself the prime spot to see what was happening in the carpark.<br/>
Like the arrival of the Bury-marked taxi.</p>
<p>Kayleigh closed the door of the taxi - “Thank you” - and walked quickly inside the store, heading to Reception where she had seen John through the main windows.  He straightened his tie as she approached.<br/>
“Good evening, Miss...?”<br/>
She smiled.  “Kitson.”<br/>
He made a show of checking the Visitor register.  “Miss...<br/>
Kitson...<br/>
Kitson...<br/>
ah, yes.  We’ve been expecting you.”</p>
<p>He handed her a Visitor tag, brushing her fingers with his as he did so, and pointed to an entry in the register.  “Sign here please.  Slight change of plan - we’ve already cleaned and locked the cafeteria so you’ll have to stay here by the desk for ten or so minutes until we close the doors, then you’ll need to wait outside in the car while we finish everything up and lock the place down.  It’s a security requirement that only specific staff are present during that process, and you’re not on that list, so...   sorry.”<br/>
Kayleigh shrugged.  “That’s okay.”<br/>
He held up a Thermos.  “But I did fill this so you can have a hot drink in the car while you’re waiting.”<br/>
He glanced at the main windows.  “How is the weather outside?”<br/>
“Cold and getting colder.  It was starting to get ugly at home just before I left.”<br/>
“Yeah - we sent some of the staff who live out your way home a bit early to try and avoid some of that mess.”<br/>
“Can you do that?”<br/>
“It is my store.  For a while longer, anyway.  And it was the low customer numbers that did it.  If we’d been jammed I wouldn’t have had the option.  But, you know...  anyway.  Have a seat.  I need to get the closedown under way.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Ten-twenty pm</p>
<p>The driver’s door was only open a few seconds but it was enough for the wind to strip the heat from inside the car.<br/>
“Christ it’s cold out there,” John muttered as he dropped a messenger bag onto the back seat.<br/>
“All done, then?”<br/>
“All done.  Everything is sorted, bar one thing which I’ll do at home, but the store is officially closed for Christmas.”<br/>
“At home?”  she repeated.<br/>
“At Cath’s, I mean.”  His seatbelt clicked into place  “Ready to go?”<br/>
“Not quite.”<br/>
“No?”<br/>
“No.  Hold still.”  She leaned across and kissed him.  “I’ve wanted to do that for ages.”<br/>
“Eh?  You did that his afternoon.”<br/>
“Here at work, I mean.”<br/>
“Oh.”<br/>
“Although it’s not quite right, what with nobody being around to see us.”<br/>
John got the message.  “Still, in about three weeks’ time I’ll be out of here and it won’t matter what anyone sees.  Or says.  Or thinks.  Right?”<br/>
Kayleigh got the message.  “True.”  She patted his knee.  “Let’s go.”</p>
<p>John got “Little Blue” moving and the retail park soon disappeared from his rear-view mirror.<br/>
“So what’s the one thing you’ve got left to do, then?” asked Kayleigh.<br/>
John jerked his thumb at the back seat.  “Final write-up for the day.  I mean, technically it’s not due until tomorrow-lunchtime at the latest, but by doing it tonight I’ll be able to put it out of my mind completely.  Can spend all Christmas Day without thinking about work.  Well, assuming that bastard phone doesn’t ring, of course.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>The lights were in their favour for most of the journey and they arrived at Cath’s just before the rain started.  After a brief tour of the house Kayleigh started making hot drinks while John got the heater going and organised a late-supper for Muffin.</p>
<p>Kayleigh brought the drinks into the lounge, set them down on the coffee table by the sofa and took a closer look at some of the art on the walls, wondering again “how the hell can Cath afford all this?”</p>
<p>John walked in.  “What do you think?”<br/>
“Hmm?”<br/>
“About the paintings and whatever.”<br/>
“They’re, um...  I don’t know, John.  Some of it’s quite nice, but some...” - she was pointing - “I mean, I just don’t get that one at all.”<br/>
He grinned.  “Me neither.”<br/>
Kayleigh folded her arms.  “No prizes for guessing which picture’s your favourite.”<br/>
“Go on, then.”<br/>
“It’s the one you’re not looking at.”<br/>
John sighed and turned towards the print of the dancer titled “Blue Dress.”  He shrugged.  “Hey, she’s got a nice bum.”<br/>
“Big bum, more like,” said Kayleigh dismissively as she turned away.<br/>
John glanced down at his stomach.  “Big can be nice too...”  but Kayleigh didn’t see his expression as her attention had already shifted to the two keyboards set up on a double-stand.  “Is Cath a musician as well?”<br/>
“No,” he said, relieved at the change of subject.  “They’re mine.  I’m getting some practice in.  The guys from the music studio are playing a gig in mid-January, and they’ve said I can play on a couple of their songs.”<br/>
“Really?!”<br/>
“Really,” he grinned, “thanks to Jim.  It’s a classic-rock set, all from the Seventies.  Should be fun.  They’ve given me their full set-list to learn, but I’ll probably only play the last two of the night.”<br/>
“Can I come and watch?”<br/>
“I’d really like that.  Anyway,” he said as he moved to the table, “I’m going to do my write-up.”  He nodded towards the sofa.  “Go ahead.  Make yourself comfortable.”<br/>
“Do you need to do it at the table?”<br/>
“Don’t need to as such, no.”<br/>
“Then do it over here, so I can sit with you.”</p>
<p>He set himself up with the laptop on his thighs, propped his notepad on the arm of the sofa and had Kayleigh hold the folder open so he could refer to it as he typed.  After ten minutes he stopped typing and began to read through it, muttering and making minor corrections as he went.  Then he went quiet before finally saying “Done.”<br/>
“Can I look at it?”<br/>
John thought for a moment.  “As long as you don’t tell anyone, I don’t see why not.  It’s just numbers, basically, but, sure.  Go ahead.”  He passed the laptop over then reached for his mug.</p>
<p>Kayleigh read quietly, then gasped.  “Did the store really take that much money today?”<br/>
John was unmoved.  “Plus what’s still in the safe.  It’s much less than we expected for Christmas Eve.  No doubt Head Office will ask questions.”<br/>
“How can you be so...?  That’s so much money, John.  Even with closing early tonight.  Who’s going to question that?”<br/>
John took back the laptop and scrolled down.  “They’ll start by looking at the numbers over the last week, which got bigger every day, then they’ll see the big drop-off today.  Especially compared with last Christmas Eve, which was huge for the store.  And they’ll ask why.  And because I know they’ll do that, I included the details from the weather-alerts and the customer-numbers throughout the day to put the takings in context.  See, as Manager you’re constantly having to justify every result, every decision you make.  Someone’s always asking why.  Usually someone without a pissing clue.”<br/>
He took a deep breath.<br/>
“That’s one thing I definitely won’t miss about this job.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh waited until John had stopped shaking his head.  “So what happens to it now?”<br/>
“I mail it in.  Email it in, I mean.  They’ll look at it, along with the data in the stock- and sales-systems on Thursday-Friday, but until they start asking questions - that’s it for me.”<br/>
“And will you then be able to relax?”<br/>
“Yes.”<br/>
“Then send it now.  Please.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>With the email having been sent, John shut down the laptop, leaned back and reached his arm around Kayleigh, pressing his lips to her scalp as she rested her head on his shoulder.  They were both quiet for a few minutes, listening to the rain being swept against the windows.  Then Kayleigh shifted position slightly.  “Are you not going to ask?”<br/>
“About?”<br/>
“About what happened this afternoon after you left.”<br/>
John sniffed.  “Wasn’t planning to.”<br/>
“You’re not curious at all?”<br/>
“Been busy so hadn’t thought about it.  And it’s not really my business.”<br/>
“Still, do you want to take a guess?”<br/>
“Um, okay.”  He paused.  “Nothing.”<br/>
“What?  How can you-”<br/>
“Because...  because when I got there he didn’t look like a kid in trouble for swearing in public.  At least, that’s what I’m guessing he did.  No.  I was the bad guy for having said it in the first place during a private phone call.<br/>
And you did say Mandy doesn’t do much when he mouths off at Steve.  Seems to me that a mother who lets her son get away with that isn’t likely to actually punish him.  So, yeah.  Nothing.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh was quiet for a moment.  “You’ve been a manager too long, John.  Too cynical.  You’re not even close.”<br/>
“Then, what?”<br/>
“Seems Alfie did swear when they were in some shop or other.  Not loudly, but enough to be noticed by one of the staff there.  And he dobbed you in when Mandy asked him where he’d heard that expression.”<br/>
“Yes...?”<br/>
“It wasn’t just that he lied about where he’d heard you say it.  It was the way you easily picked his story to bits.  Made Mandy feel stupid that she hadn’t seen it for herself.”<br/>
“That... I didn’t mean to do that.”<br/>
“I know.  So does Mandy.  She’s still mad, though.  He’s grounded for two weeks.”<br/>
“Really?  Grounded for two weeks for swearing quietly in a shop and lying about washing his hands?”<br/>
“Grounded for two weeks, from Christmas through New Year and right up to the start of the next school term.  Stuck in his room.  No TV.  Can’t go outside.  Can’t see his friends.  His own fault, really.  It was only for one week until he threw a tantrum.  She even threatened to cancel his Christmas altogether if he didn’t shut it.”<br/>
“Oh.  Wow.”<br/>
“Exactly.  I thought it was too much, myself, but there was no stopping her by that point.”<br/>
John kept a straight face.  “Go, Mandy,” he thought.</p>
<p>They were both quiet, then John frowned.  “So, can I assume I’m not welcome there any more?”<br/>
“Sure you are.  Obviously, Alfie’s not your biggest fan, but it’s not like it’s his house or anything.”<br/>
“Nah, best I stay away so I don’t cause any more friction.”<br/>
“You wouldn’t.”<br/>
“Sure I would.  Look.  Mandy wouldn’t have sat back while he had a go at Steve unless Alfie was her favourite, right?  And I’ve just been involved in something where she’s ended up punishing him.”<br/>
“I don’t think she’ll hold it against you, John.”<br/>
He was shaking his head.  “Best I stay away, I reckon.  For now, anyway.  I mean, I’ll still pick you up and drop you home if you want, but that’ll have to be it until things blow over.  If ever.”<br/>
“But John...”<br/>
“No.  It’s the right thing to do.  We’ll see how things go.”  His eyes flicked to the clock on the the stereo.  “Anyway - if you’re going to be home early we need to be getting some sleep.”  He stood up.  “Come on.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kayleigh used the bathroom while John tidied up and settled Muffin for the night, so she had turned the lights down and made herself comfortable well before John walked into the bedroom and began to change into his pyjamas.  A casual scan showed nothing other than their phones on the bedside tables, and given the direction their conversation had taken - and the fact that Kayleigh was clearly wearing a nightie even though she had pulled the covers up near her shoulders - John wasn’t anticipating anything other than sleeping in that bed that night.<br/>
But once under the covers Kayleigh rolled towards him, her hand reaching for his while gently pressing her forehead against his.  With their fingers linked she lifted her face and pressed her lips to his, briefly at first then longer, purposefully.<br/>
Long presses that became individual kisses.<br/>
Kisses that became little more than soft pecks.<br/>
Soft pecks that eventually stopped.<br/>
And they were left with their faces just inches apart, neither of them moving.</p>
<p>“Here it comes,” thought John.<br/>
“Do you mind if we don’t tonight?” asked Kayleigh unnecessarily.  “It’s just, with tomorrow-”<br/>
“That’s fine,” John interrupted, playing his part.  He kissed the tip of her nose - “Good night” - then rolled to his right and turned off the bedside lamp, leaving Kayleigh facing the back of his head in the near-dark.<br/>
“Oh.  Good night, John.”</p>
<p>He let his irritation pass, shrugging off the “missed” opportunity that never was.<br/>
What was more interesting was what happened with Alfie.</p>
<p>“She saw him for what he is, but the worst she would do is keep him in a warm house for two weeks right when the weather’s turning to shit,” he thought.  “Hardly punishment.  Not exactly a smack in the mouth, is it?”</p>
<p>He grinned to himself in the dark.  “Wonder what else I could get him to say?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Christmas Day, five-twenty am</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Morning...”<br/>Kayleigh’s eyelids flickered as she felt gentle kisses on her forehead.<br/>“Oh, John.  Can you not?  Not this morning.”<br/>The kisses stopped, and there was a heavy sigh.<br/>“I’m not trying anything.  I just need you to get up.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh opened her eyes and saw John standing over her, fully dressed.  “Oh.  Um, I didn’t hear an alarm go off.”<br/>“No.  Muffin woke me about an hour ago.  Time you got up.”<br/>“Really?  Right now?”<br/>“Yes.  Because I have to drop you at Bury first, and I don’t want to get to Paul’s too long after the kids get up.”<br/>He moved around to the other side of the bed.  “Towel’s just there.  I can have a bit of toast ready for when you get out of the shower, if you want.”  He picked up Muffin from the bed - “no, no - out of here, you” and carried her out, leaving Kayleigh wincing.<br/>“John?”<br/>“Now.  Please.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Five fifty-nine am</p>
<p>“I’m the King of rock and roll...”<br/>John frowned at the radio.  “Not singing like that, you’re not.”<br/>It was all he’d said on the drive to Bury.  Until that point “Forever FM” had been the only noise inside the car.</p>
<p>Kayleigh sensed that his mood was lifting so took a chance.<br/>“So, um, what’s your plan for the day?  Are you at Paul’s all day?”<br/>“During the day, yeah.  Except for a couple of trips back to look in on Muffin.  But not overnight.”<br/>“Wasn’t that the idea?”<br/>“Originally.  I mean, I’ll still be there for a while after the kids go to bed, so I’ll get to spend most of their day with them.  But I’ll have to head back and get sorted for my early start tomorrow.”  He was quiet as he negotiated the intersection.  “How about you?  Home all day?”<br/>“We’re in until after lunch, then heading to see Mum for a few hours.”<br/>“What - even the delinquent?”<br/>“Yep.  Mum insists that she gets to see both her grandchildren.  And what Valerie wants...  Valerie whinges about until she gets.”<br/>“Oh.  Okay.”<br/>“Although Steve will miss out.  He and Mum aren’t really getting along at the moment so he doesn’t have to go.  Lucky sod.”<br/>John smiled despite himself.</p>
<p>At that moment the time ticked over to six o’clock, and the auto-scheduler at “Forever FM” fired up the first of the Christmas songs for the day:</p>
<p>“Please, daddy, don’t get drunk this Christmas<br/>I don’t want to see my mama cry...”</p>
<p>John and Kayleigh both stared at the radio before John hit the MUTE button.<br/>“John, what was that?”<br/>“I’m guessing that was someone’s farewell present to “Forever FM” after getting sacked.  Because no one wanting to keep their job would program THAT on Christmas morning.”<br/>“Clearly.  But what was it?”<br/>“It’s a John Denver song, from the Seventies, I think.  Well, he was singing it - I don’t know if he wrote it.  I hope not.”<br/>Kayleigh giggled.  “John, you know how they say that “Rocky Mountain High” is a drug song?”<br/>“He said it’s not.”<br/>“Yeah, but...  do you think he might have been “Rocky Mountain High” when he agreed to sing that song just now?”  She was laughing openly now.<br/>John was grinning.  “It would explain a lot.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Ten minutes later the Fiat pulled into the driveway of the small Bury house, stopping abruptly with it’s nose just short of the closed gates.  “Shit!”<br/>“John?”<br/>“Since when are those gates closed?”  He glanced at the window.  “Someone’s up, so you’ll have company.  But I should be going.”<br/>“Before you do - can I ask you something?”<br/>“Sure.”<br/>She bit her lip.  “Is it a problem that I didn’t want to have sex last night?”<br/>John’s smile faded.  “Where’s this come from?”<br/>“Is it, though?”<br/>“No.  You asked if I minded.  I didn’t.”  He paused.  “Were you expecting me to act differently?”<br/>“Well...  no.”<br/>“Huh.  But this morning - the first thing you did was assume I was trying it on.  Is that what you do, is it?  Assume the worst?”<br/>“I didn’t...”<br/>“Yes.  You did.  You’re still assuming, Kayleigh.  And you’re still assuming wrong.”</p>
<p>The awkward silence was broken when John’s phone rang.  John glanced at the display on the dash - “It’s Paul” - before tapping the button on the steering wheel.  “Morning.”<br/>“Hey.  Just checking up on you.”<br/>“Oh, sure.  Are they up yet?”<br/>“No.  They’re not allowed out for another twenty-odd minutes, but you’d better get a move on.  We’ll have tea and toast waiting.”<br/>“Very good.  I’m on my way.”<br/>“See ya.”</p>
<p>John turned to Kayleigh.  “I really should-” then stopped short, an annoyed look on his face.  “Little shit!”<br/>“John!”<br/>“Look at your front room.  Your nephew,” - he spat out the word - “is giving me the finger.  So much for him being punished.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh quickly turned her head.  The street light clearly showed Alfie had moved past the blinds and was making a series of hand gestures in the direction of the Fiat, but he quickly ducked out of sight when he realised that Kayleigh had seen him.<br/>She looked back at John who had a white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel and was looking daggers at the house.  She touched his arm.  “John?”<br/>He didn’t turn his head, didn’t move his eyes.  “I know he’s your nephew, but...”  then clenched his teeth to avoid saying anything else.<br/>Kayleigh’s quick glance showed no one watching from the window.<br/>“Never mind him now.  Just don’t even think about him.  John, I want to talk about this morning.   When you...  yes, I did sort-of assume, but I was still mostly asleep, and-”<br/>“I just...  I thought that would be a nicer way for you to be woken up than hearing a blaring alarm.  That’s all I was doing.”<br/>“I know.  Now.  And thinking about it now - it is a lovely thought.  I didn’t expect you’d do that, that’s all.  It was unexpected.  And, now that I know what you were doing, it was nice.  And wouldn’t be unwelcome if you did it again.  Okay?”<br/>His features softened.  “Okay.”<br/>“Good.  Now hop out.”</p>
<p>She walked round to his side of the car and held him tightly, neither of them moving nor speaking.  And then the drizzle started.<br/>“Typical,” John muttered.<br/>Kayleigh sent John on his way - “Have a lovely day.  And I’ll text you later” - before glaring at the house.</p>
<p>Steve looked up from making his tea at the sound of the front door closing.  “Morning love.”<br/>“Steve, there’s something I need to do.  And I need you to back me up, okay?”<br/>“Um, okay.”<br/>She dropped her bag on the floor, marched out towards Alfie’s bedroom and knocked loudly and deliberately on his door.<br/>“Alfie Price!  Get out here!”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>The door was opening even as John reached to knock on it, revealing Monique’s smiling face.  “Merry Christmas, John,” she whispered.<br/>“Merry Christmas, Mon.”</p>
<p>He closed the door quietly behind him, handed his damp jacket to Paul and hugged Monique.  “You guys all right?”<br/>“Yeah.  You?”<br/>John sighed.  “Not the best of starts, actually.”<br/>“Work-shit?”<br/>“Nothing so simple.”<br/>“Oh.”<br/>“Never mind that now.  Much more importantly - am I early or late?”<br/>“They’re awake,” replied Paul.  “Still in their rooms but keen to be up and about.  Big question - do you want to be sitting at the table when they come in, or be the one to knock on their doors to get them up?”<br/>“I want to knock on their doors, obviously.”<br/>Paul grinned.  “Well, go on then.”</p>
<p>He and Monique set themselves up at the table.  They didn’t have to wait long.<br/>“Uncle John!”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>“Don’t you lie to me.  I saw you doing the fingers.  And the rest.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh was red-faced, her hands on her hips.  She was flanked on one side by Mandy who had her arms folded, and on the other by Steve who had positioned himself in front of the door, leaving Alfie nowhere to go.  Or hide.</p>
<p>“I didn’t...”<br/>“I.  Saw.  You.”<br/>“I...  I didn’t do it at you.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh turned to Mandy, whose eyes flicked back and forth between her son and her sister for a few moments.  Then she nodded.<br/>Kayleigh took a deep breath.  “You’re grounded.  For a month.”<br/>Alfie looked shocked.  “You...  you can’t ground me.”<br/>“I just have.  And you’re going to apologise to my friend for what you did.  And you’re going to mean it.”<br/>“But...  Mum?”<br/>Mandy opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.  In the end she just looked away, her face a mixture of anger and disappointment.</p>
<p>With no support from his mother, Alfie turned to Steve, who had said nothing since Kayleigh had called Mandy downstairs.  Steve simply shrugged, stepped away from the door and pointed through it.<br/>He stood quietly, waiting until a sniffling Alfie had closed his bedroom door before pulling the door closed.  He looked sympathetically at Kayleigh whose eyes were now red-rimmed.  “A month, huh?”<br/>Kayleigh sniffed.  “Too much?”<br/>Steve looked thoughtful.  “For acting up twice in two days?”  He looked directly at Mandy.  “It’s a start...”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Two-thirty pm</p>
<p>The extended Redmond family had finished Christmas lunch and had split into two groups, with the children in the lounge and the adults sitting at the now-cleared table.  John had seen the look between his mother and Rose when they’d arrived and seen him there by himself, so he’d made every effort to avoid being alone with either of them and having “that” conversation.<br/>But with the children happily playing with their presents in the lounge he’d run out of excuses.</p>
<p>His mother sat in the chair next to him.  “Where is Kayleigh?  You two haven’t...  have you?”<br/>“Haven’t what?”<br/>“You know.”<br/>“She’s having Christmas with her sister and her family.  Then they’re heading off to see her Mum.”<br/>“Did you not think to invite her today?”<br/>“No.”<br/>“Why not?”<br/>“Ask your son.”<br/>“I am asking him.”<br/>“Have you forgotten what happened when I brought her here for lunch that time?”<br/>“Oh...”<br/>“That’s right.  When your favourite over there decided to be all clever and embarrassed Kayleigh.”<br/>“That was a while ago, John.”<br/>“Yes.  But when he invited us to come here today, I asked him if he was going to do that again.  Do you know what he said to me?  “Oh, probably not.”  If he can’t even pretend that he’s going to be civil, I’m not going to bring her here.  I’m just not going to.”<br/>Paul spoke up.  “Oh, come on.  What’s the worst that could happen?”<br/>“Other than you ending up with a carving fork in your neck, you mean?”<br/>Paul bristled.  “There’s no need for that attitude.”<br/>“And your attitude is the reason I won’t bring her here in the first place,” John snapped.  “She shouldn’t have to put up with-”<br/>“That’s enough, boys.”<br/>The brothers turned to see Rose with a serious look on her face.  “And there’ll be no more of that talk today.”<br/>“Sorry, Nana.”<br/>“Sorry.”<br/>“Yes.  Now go and talk to those children in there.”  She was pointing to the lounge, where Ben and Sophie had both stopped playing to listen to the argument.  “Let them know that everything is all right.”<br/>As the brothers went through to the lounge, Monique leaned close to Rose and whispered “Thank you, Rose.”<br/>“Quite all right, dear.”</p>
<p>Both brothers nodded to Rose when they came back in.  “They’re happy.”<br/>“Very good.  Now, Paul - I’d quite like to watch some television for a while.  Help your Nana through to the lounge and turn on your TV, if you would.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As Paul got Rose settled in front of the TV, John’s mother changed the subject.<br/>“Monique said you didn’t stay over last night.”<br/>“No.  I didn’t finish up at the store until nearly half-ten.  Might have woken the kids if I’d turned up too late.  Didn’t want to do that.”<br/>“Are you staying over tonight?”<br/>“No.  Need to be at work before six-thirty tomorrow morning.”<br/>“You have to stop putting your work first all the time.”<br/>“It’s not all the time.  And it’s only for three more weeks.”<br/>“How will it be different?”<br/>“Because...  because, I won’t be doing twelve- and thirteen-hour days, I won’t have to carry a work phone with me every single day, and I can go to bed knowing there’s no chance I might have to go back to work at two in the morning.  Plus I’ll be working for a boss who wants me to be there.”<br/>“Did you really take a pay cut so you could work normal hours for a better boss?”<br/>“Yes.  And for the chances this new job can give me.”<br/>“Hmm.”<br/>“What?”<br/>“There’ll always be a need for managers in supermarkets, love.”<br/>“I know.”  He was distracted by the faint sound of a text alert.  “That’s my backup plan.  I just don’t want to use it.”</p>
<p>Ben was waving from the doorway to the lounge.  “Uncle John?  Your phone just made a noise.”<br/>“Which phone, buddy?”<br/>“The big one.”<br/>“Oh.  My phone.  Can you bring it through, please?”<br/>John paid Ben his usual one-chocolate handling fee - “Thank you, sir” - and swiped his phone, bringing up a text from Kayleigh.  He smiled, opened the attached photo then showed it to the other adults.<br/>Monique peered at the picture.  “Who’s that?”<br/>“The lady on the left is Elsie, from work.  She was a part-time Mrs Santa in our Santa-cave setup over the last week or so.  Did well.  Really well, actually.  But we couldn’t pay her a bonus as such, for a couple of reasons, so I got her a two-person Christmas dinner-pack as a way to thank her.  Now, the lady on the right lives by herself in the same block of flats as Elsie, and Elsie invited her over for dinner so they’d both have company for Christmas.”<br/>The smiles in the room reflected those in the photo.<br/>“That’s a lovely thing to do, John.  By you and her.”<br/>John shook his head.  “Nah.  That’s what bosses are supposed to do, after all - actually see what’s going on, recognise the effort people put in and reward them.  But, Elsie?  She could easily have kept all of it for herself - you know, frozen some of it or whatever - but she didn’t.  She’s done the good deed.  I just did my job.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Two-forty pm</p>
<p>“Why have you grounded my grandson?”<br/>Valerie Kitson had come through to the kitchen where the sisters were cutting up cake for afternoon tea.<br/>“Pardon?”<br/>“Chloe told me you grounded him.  I asked if she was telling tales, but no.  And Alfie told me the same.  He’s been grounded for Christmas.”<br/>Kayleigh imitated John’s manager-tone.  “What...  EXACTLY...  did he tell you?”<br/>“He told me you grounded him.”<br/>“Did he tell you why?”<br/>“No.  Just that you’d grounded him.  Both of you.  Why would you do that on Christmas Day, of all days?”</p>
<p>The sisters shared a look, then Kayleigh stepped to the door.  “Alfie.  Come in here, please.”<br/>She pointed to a chair - “Sit there” - and closed the door.</p>
<p>Mandy looked at Valerie, then her son.  “Alfie.  Tell your grandmother why I grounded you.  What you did, not what you said.  And don’t leave anything out, or I’ll add on two more weeks.”<br/>A short, expletive-free explanation followed.<br/>“And the rest...”<br/>Mandy waited until Alfie’s confession was complete.  “That’s why I grounded him.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” said Valerie.  “Well, there’s no need for bad language anywhere, by anyone.  But I don’t see how that justifies you making him spend a month in his room.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh spoke up.  “Now tell your grandmother what you did this morning.  Don’t show her, just tell her.”<br/>After a brief, gestureless explanation, Alfie was quiet.<br/>“And that’s why I grounded him.”</p>
<p>In the ensuing silence, Kayleigh nodded to Mandy then picked up the two plates of cake and handed one to Alfie.  “Help me take these through, please.”  She closed the door behind them, leaving Mandy in the kitchen with her mother.</p>
<p>Valerie was quiet for a few moments.  “This is probably happening because you told them about their real father.  I did say it was a mistake, didn’t I?”<br/>“You did.  But it’s done now.”<br/>“Have you told them all of it?”<br/>“No.”<br/>“Are you going to ?”<br/>“I wasn’t.  Now I just don’t know.”<br/>“Maybe, just maybe, mind - telling them the whole story might make them appreciate what they have.  Alfie, especially.”<br/>“Did I hear you say “appreciate”?  Have you changed your mind about Steve, then?”<br/>“No.  I still think you could have done much better for yourself and those children.”<br/>Mandy shook her head and stood up.  “And that’s why I didn’t bring him here today.  Because you just can’t help yourself.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Seven o’clock</p>
<p>The brothers had been nominated to make hot drinks for everyone so set themselves up in the kitchen.  The teas and cocoas had already been taken out, and John was now watching Paul make a plunger of coffee for himself and Monique.  Although it seemed to John that Paul was doing more waiting than making.<br/>“Why does this take so long?” asked John.<br/>“It just does, all right?”</p>
<p>Paul gave the coffee mix a stir then turned to John.  “That picture you got earlier - did you say it was Elsie?”<br/>“Yep.”<br/>“Is that the same Elsie you said was lucky to have kept her job as long as she has?”<br/>“That’s her.”<br/>“But you made her Mrs Santa.  And bought her a big Christmas dinner.”<br/>“Yep.  Told you why.”<br/>“Huh.  So you’d give her another chance, but not me?”<br/>“Let it go, Paul.”<br/>“Fine.”  He leaned against the counter.  “Um, since we’re having to wait a bit longer, can I ask you a work question real quick?”<br/>“Seriously?”<br/>“Just one.”<br/>“All right.”<br/>“Has the Tendering schedule been set yet?”<br/>“I’m told that the calls for Expressions of Interest will be released in the third week of January, with calls to Tender going five weeks later.  At this stage.”</p>
<p>“That’s all I know,” he continued at Paul’s raised eyebrow.  “I’ve been out of that loop since the beginning of the month, and won’t be directly involved when I go over because all the base work will have been done by then.  And even if I hadn’t been in the shop this month I wouldn’t have been let anywhere near it.  Can’t look at Distribution options because I know Caroline, can’t go near engineering and safety reviews because I know you, can’t be actively involved in the publicity requirements because I know Bevan - can’t do a lot of the really interesting up-front stuff.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” said Paul, “it must be awful having so many business contacts.”<br/>“I won’t be able to promote myself as a “whole of job” consultant in the future if there’s big parts of this job I’m not allowed to go near.  That’s the problem I have.”<br/>“Only around Manchester.  You won’t have that hanging over you in other places.  Look.  Right now, you can still look through all the lead-in and prep-work for all of that, plus can probably take a look at all the submissions, but you just won’t be involved in the decisions and choices.  That’s probably good enough.”<br/>“Is it, though?”<br/>“Sure, because what you’ve forgotten is how common it is for well-reasoned choices to be overturned later by some idiot who had nothing to do with the process.”</p>
<p>John had to concede that Paul did have a point.  But changed the subject rather than saying so.<br/>“I have a question for you, now.”<br/>“Go on, then.”<br/>John pointed at the plunger.  “Why does this take so long?”<br/>“It just does, all right?”<br/>“What was the bit with the spoons?”<br/>“Losing the last of the crust.”<br/>“Doing what?”<br/>“Who’s the engineer here?  You or me?  Watch and learn.”<br/>“Well, why aren’t you pushing the plunger all the way down, like the instructions say to?”<br/>“Because you don’t.  Whoever wrote those didn’t have a clue.”<br/>“But they made the bloody thing.”<br/>“Yes.  About ten years ago, now.”<br/>“So?”<br/>“So, what makes you think they haven’t thought up better ways to do this since then?”<br/>“But it’s only coffee.  I still don’t understand why you didn’t just break out the Instant.”<br/>Paul sighed.  “Bloody tea-drinkers.  You’ve got no idea.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Nine forty-five pm</p>
<p>John’s Mum had taken Rose home and the children had gone to bed, leaving John, Paul and Monique sitting in the now-quiet lounge.  John had offered to help tidy the kitchen but Monique had turned his offer down, saying “Forget it.  We’ll sort it in the morning.  Or just sell the house.”<br/>But she did allow him to pour the last of the wine into her glass.  “Thank you.  So.  Do you know what you’re doing for New Year’s?  Once you finish work, I mean.”<br/>“Well,” he replied, “the store will close at ten, so it’ll be something like ten-thirty at least before it’s all locked up - and by that time I’ll be knackered.  No point trying to stay awake so I’ll just go home.  I do get to sleep all through New Years’ Day though.”<br/>She nodded.  “Well - if you’re not too knackered after all that, come over.  We’re probably just gonna sit around inside though, what with the forecast being a bit crap.”<br/>“Okay.  I’ll see how I get on.”  He checked his watch.  “What do you think?”<br/>“Yeah,” said Paul, “I think so.  This is about as late as they usually take to decide if they want a glass of water or not.  Pity you have to work tomorrow.”<br/>John picked up both phones.  “Fingers crossed - in a few weeks I’ll never have to again.”<br/>“Fingers crossed.”<br/>Monique gave him a hug.  “Good night, John.  Thanks for coming round - the kids loved that you were here.”<br/>“Thank you for the invite.”<br/>Paul handed John his jacket.  “I’ll see you out.”</p>
<p>The brothers stepped out into the cool damp air.  “It’s not completely terrible out here,” said Paul, “but, still - take it easy getting home, yeah?”<br/>“Will do.  Ah, about earlier.  I, um...”<br/>“I know.  Hey, about New Year’s Day.  Even if you can’t get it together until the afternoon - come round.  And bring Kayleigh if she’s not busy.”<br/>“You what?”<br/>“I promise I won’t be an arse.”<br/>“Really?”<br/>“Yeah.”  Paul looked sheepish.  “I got told off by Mon.  And Mum and Rose.  They’d like to see her around here again.  If she’s interested, obviously.”<br/>“I’ll ask.  Thanks, Paul.”<br/>“Yeah, yeah.  Hope tomorrow’s not too shit for you at the store.”<br/>“Cheers bud.  See you later.”</p>
<p>John was chuckling even as he was reversing out of the driveway.  He’d wondered why Paul had been a bit quiet right after dinner - and no wonder.  “Being told off by those three?  Sod that.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>The wet roads kept every driver honest so John’s journey took a bit longer than expected, but he was soon pulling up to the gates of the small Bury house.  Kayleigh got in the car, leaned over and kissed him.  “Merry Christmas, John.”<br/>“Merry Christmas, Kayleigh.”<br/>He watched her put on the seat belt.  “Are you sure about this?  It does mean another five-thirty start to get you back here in the morning.”<br/>She kissed him again.<br/>“Just drive.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Boxing Day, five-forty am</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Their morning had been mostly silent since John shut down Kayleigh’s complaints about their early start by saying “You could have gone back last night, but, no...”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Last evening had started well.  John had chosen Preset-2 on the stereo, sending the local “Smooth” station to every speaker in the lounge.  They’d assumed their customary positions on the sofa - John sitting with his arms around Kayleigh as she leaned against him - while they talked about their respective Christmas Days.  The invitation to spend part of New Year’s Day with the Redmonds had surprised Kayleigh, while the news of Alfie’s extended grounding had delighted John.  Not that he’d said so.</p>
<p>And then John heard the text-alert.  “Oh.”<br/>“Who’s that?  Work?”<br/>“No.”  He reached over to the cellphones at his right.  “Cath.  Saying Merry Christmas.  I’ll just send a quick reply...”<br/>Kayleigh sat upright.  John did the same and began tapping in a message.  Fifty seconds later he was finished, so put his phone back down and leaned back.  Kayleigh remained upright, looking around the room before reaching for the “Spa City” gift-voucher John had given her.<br/>“This place does look lovely, John.”<br/>“Looks decent.  Yeah.  Do you think you’ll go with Mandy?”<br/>“Probably.”  She put the voucher down.  “Have you given anything like that to Cath before?”<br/>John frowned.  “Um, yes.  But “Spa City” was recommended to me by Monique, who went there on her birthday.”<br/>“Oh.  Okay.  She liked it, then?”<br/>“Yes.  She recommended it.”</p>
<p>There was an awkward pause.  John was still deciding whether to say anything when Kayleigh twisted slightly and sat straight back against the sofa.<br/>“It’s a pity we can’t spend more time at yours,” she said, still not looking at him.  “I sleep really well there.”<br/>“Well, that won’t be happening for another fortnight.  Besides, you slept well enough here last night.”<br/>“Yeah, but it’s not the same.”  She looked sideways at Muffin who had made herself comfortable on John’s lap as soon as Kayleigh had sat up.  “Could you not stay at yours and just look in on her a couple of times a day?”<br/>“No.  Just for the extra travelling time alone.”<br/>“Or have her at yours?”<br/>“No.  This is her home.  She’s happy here.”<br/>“But you’re not here all day, every day.”<br/>“So?  On work days I’ll be back here briefly at lunchtime.  And if I have to work nights I’ll make sure she’s set up properly before I go.”<br/>“Pity...”<br/>“Is it?  Why is it?”<br/>There was another pause, during which John thought carefully about what Kayleigh had said.  “What’s this actually about?”<br/>“Nothing.”<br/>“It’s not “nothing”, otherwise you wouldn’t have your arms folded like that.  What’s going on?”<br/>“I know I said I want to stay over with you.  I do.  It’s just...”<br/>“What?”<br/>No response.<br/>John looked around the room.  “Is the problem about me staying here, in Cath’s house?”<br/>“Well...”<br/>“Is it?  Because...  I’m house-sitting.  It’s not like closing next door’s curtains.  This is where I’m going to be living for the next two weeks.<br/>And if my staying here is a problem for you, then that’s on you.”</p>
<p>On reflection, he could have said that differently...</p>
<p>Interestingly, she hadn’t taken up his offer to drive her home there and then.  And yet, when he flat-out refused to sleep on the sofa - “I’m not the one on my holidays.  You slum it,” - she didn’t call a taxi either.  She did join him in bed, but there’d been none of the annoying “consolation kisses” like the previous night.  Or anything else.<br/>Still, getting the silent treatment had always made it easier for John to get to sleep.</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>The Fiat pulled up well short of the closed gates outside the small Bury house.  John left the engine running and fixed his gaze on the main window.<br/>“Why have you stopped back here?”<br/>“So you won’t step out into a puddle.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh didn’t move.  “What are you looking at out there?”<br/>“Looking out for your bastard nephew,” he thought.<br/>“Watching the weather,” he said.  </p>
<p>Still no movement.</p>
<p>“Kayleigh, I have to go.”<br/>“Can we talk?”<br/>John was now tapping the clock on the dashboard.  “I have to go.  Seriously.”<br/>“John, we need to talk.”<br/>“No.  No.  Don’t wait until now to start a conversation, not when you know I have to get going.  You’ve had the whole drive over to say something.  Why have you waited until now?”<br/>“It’s important.”</p>
<p>John sat motionless.  Then he took a deep breath and his face relaxed.  “All right.”<br/>He put the Fiat into reverse and got it moving.<br/>“John!  What are you doing?”<br/>“Going to work.  We can talk on the way.  If it’s that important that we talk, it won’t matter where we do it.  But, since you didn’t respect my wish to be at work on time, the least you can do is give me the chance to not be too late.  But if you’re not going to do that, I can let you out somewhere up the road.<br/>You decide.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>John pulled into his parking space and killed the engine, having removed his seat belt while the car was still moving.  His eyes flicked past the empty passenger seat as he reached for the messenger bag behind him, then got out and trotted over to the staff entrance.<br/>He kept his greetings to a minimum as he headed through the Loading area and over to the main enquiry desk where the Section Head was talking to the assembled group.  Andre turned when one of the team nodded in John’s direction.<br/>“Good morning Mr Redmond.”<br/>“Good morning, Andre.  Good morning everyone.  I’m sorry I’m late.”<br/>Andre checked the main clock over the desk.  “It’s not even five minutes, Mr Redmond.  It’s fine.”<br/>John was shaking his head.  “Not to me, it isn’t.  Please carry on...”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Three-fifty pm</p>
<p>John shared a few pleasantries with some early-arrivals for the late shift before dropping his bag into the boot of the blue Fiat and leaving for the day.  His departure was observed by a pair from the Loading Bay team who were setting up in anticipation of the next lorry’s arrival.<br/>Karl gave George a nudge.  “How about that?  The boss giving himself a short first-day back.”<br/>“You what?”<br/>“Nice for some, being able to set your own hours.”<br/>A different voice.  “What are you on about?”<br/>Karl turned to see that the Warehouse supervisor had joined them.  “Um, well, we just saw the boss leave for the day.  Bit on the nose, what with him being all about following the rules.”<br/>Raj looked at the two men for a moment then nodded.  “You’re right, though.  It was a short day for Mr Redmond.  Just ten hours, instead of his usual eleven or more.”<br/>“His...  how many?”<br/>“Oh, yeah.  He’d been at work for nearly three hours by the time you both signed in this morning.”<br/>“Oh.”<br/>“That’s right.  “Oh.”  Now,” he said, “Acme just called through to say that the next lorry is delayed but the one due after it will be early.  Need you both back inside.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>The dreary weather wasn’t doing local businesses any favours, as the damp chilly air was dissuading people from staying in town any longer than they had to.<br/>As Store Manager John viewed the weather’s impact on potential customer numbers with disdain.<br/>But as a customer of McDonalds he was delighted, as the short queues meant he only had a brief wait before his order was ready.<br/>He carefully carried the tray to a table in a far corner, well away from the few other customers that were also eating in.  He loaded chips into the first of his burgers and began to eat, occasionally writing in his notepad as he thought about his day, barely registering the comings and goings of other customers.<br/>Until a tray was placed on his table.  He smiled and took some of the chips for himself.<br/>“Oy,” said Kayleigh, “they’re mine.”<br/>“Well, don’t put them right in front of me, then.”<br/>She sat next to him and pressed her lips to his cheek.  “So.  How was your day?”<br/>“A rough start, obviously...”</p>
<p>His gamble that the rain would keep her in the car that morning had paid off.  And they’d talked right up to the moment John pulled into a taxi stand just out of sight of the store, promising to leave work as early as he could.</p>
<p>“...but much better, now that you’re here.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>John had sent Kayleigh to get desserts for both of them - “because you’re blocking me in, that’s why” - while he thought a bit more about what he needed to say.  In the end he decided “out with it” was the best option.<br/>“I need to talk about work for a bit.”<br/>“Really?  Now?”<br/>“Yes.  It’s important.”<br/>She recognised her own tone from that morning in his response.<br/>“Can we finish dessert first?”<br/>“Obviously.  That’s important too.”<br/>It didn’t take them long.</p>
<p>“Roisin called me in for a chat this afternoon.”<br/>“Oh yes?”<br/>“Seems one of the Promotions team asked to cut her holidays short by a couple of days.  Wants to start again on the second of January - a Thursday - instead of the following Monday.”<br/>Kayleigh smirked.  “Really?”<br/>“Specifically asked to be on the earliest shift for that Thursday and Friday.  A six o’clock start, rather than nine o’clock.”<br/>“Really?  Did that get approved?”<br/>“You know it was.  She told me as a heads-up because of all the work that I put in a couple of months back to sort out the staffing numbers over the break.”<br/>“So?”<br/>“So there’s no leeway for being late when you ask for six o’clock starts, Kayleigh.  I only got away with being five minutes late this morning because I’m the boss.”<br/>“For just five minutes?”<br/>“I don’t want to be seen as a boss who feels they can wander in whenever they want, even though I’m only doing this for another three weeks.  Especially because of that.  But if you’re late without good reason and your super wants you disciplined, I’ll have to support it.”</p>
<p>Kayleigh nodded her understanding.  “But you’ve missed the point, John.”<br/>“Which is?”<br/>“If I start at the same time as you, you can give me a lift in.”<br/>“It’s an ugly-enough time for me to get up as it is.”<br/>“Not if I stay with you.”<br/>“I’m house-sitting at Cath’s until the sixth or seventh, remember?”<br/>“I know.”<br/>“Which you’re not thrilled about.”</p>
<p>That was an understatement...</p>
<p>“Yeah...  but you wouldn’t have to go out to Bury to pick me up.  And since Cath’s is closer to work anyway, you wouldn’t have to get up so early in the first place.”<br/>“It’s still a five-fifteen start at the latest.”<br/>“I can do that for two days.”<br/>“You’ll also be finishing three hours earlier than usual, so, two o’clock rather than five o’clock.  I won’t be.  It’ll be four o’clock at the very earliest for me, but most likely five or later.”<br/>“I can kill two or three hours, John.  It’s just for two days, after all.”<br/>“You won’t be stocking shelves to pass the time, if that’s what you’re thinking.”<br/>“John.  I get it.”  She held his hand.  “I get it.”<br/>He hadn’t finished.  “Don’t get me wrong.  I love the idea of you wanting to stay over.  I do.  But that shit from this morning can’t happen again.  It just can’t.”<br/>“It won’t.  I promise.”</p>
<p>He took her hand in his.  “It’s just - I think you sometimes forget how important the new job is to me.  I want a clean finish to my time in the store so I can hand it back to Dave and then just walk out.  Starting on time and putting in long hours is a part of that.  But it’s just for three more weeks.”<br/>“I haven’t forgotten.  I just...  forgot this morning, that’s all.  I’m looking forward to you getting to your new job as well, you know.  And to it making you happier.”</p>
<p>Their moment of peace was then broken by the arrival of a young mother with two toddlers in tow.<br/>Kayleigh squeezed John’s hand.  “Can we go somewhere else now, for a hot drink?  The tea here is terrible.”<br/>He was nodding.  “Good idea.  And then I should drop you home.”<br/>“Yeah...  but can we talk some more first?”<br/>More nodding.  “Even better.”</p>
<p>********************</p>
<p>Six-fifteen pm, Cath Hilton’s house</p>
<p>John swapped the phone to his other hand.  “And to you, Jo.  Did you and yours have a lovely day yesterday?<br/>Yeah?  That’s fantastic.<br/>Were you all together?  So were we.  At Paul’s.<br/>Oh.  Well, that sounds great, but I’m a bit busy right now.  And will be for a while, from the looks of things.  But it’d be lovely to catch up with you all sometime.<br/>Yeah...<br/>Hm?  No, I didn’t hear anything.<br/>Ow!<br/>Hm?  No, it’s nothing.  I just...  dropped something.  Anyway, best I was getting on with this lot.<br/>Yeah.  And you.  See you in a few days, love.<br/>Bye.”</p>
<p>John turned off his phone, placed it on the bedside table and looked down at Kayleigh’s sweaty, flushed, beautiful face.  And smiled.<br/>She promptly burst out laughing.  Before hitting his arm again.  “Bastard...”<br/>“What?”<br/>“You!  Doing...  THAT...  to me while on the phone to your cousin.  What’s she gonna think?”<br/>John’s gaze had moved to her breasts.  “She had no idea.  And you’re the one who wouldn’t let me stop to answer the phone.”<br/>“Well, I didn’t think you’d actually answer it.  And I really didn’t think that you’d...  you’d...  ohh…”<br/>“What, this?”<br/>“Ohhh...<br/>Ohhh...  wait...”<br/>“What?”<br/>“What time should-”<br/>His kiss left her breathless.  “I think we’ve done enough talking, don’t you?”</p>
<p>She could only gasp in reply as his hips lunged forward.</p>
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